Thanksgiving with the O'Neills
by Neuropsych
Summary: (FINISHED) The title says it all! A Campers! story. (Rated for language - because Ian's in it and everyone knows he has a potty mouth) Come see who comes for dinner!
1. 01

**Thanksgiving with the O'Neills**

_Author's Note: So! This story is going to have probably no combat scenes, no bad guys and no guns shooting or dogs slashing or anything like that. It will have plenty of Sam and Jack fluffiness, plenty of Jaffer loving, and lots of Ian because he's staying with them, remember – although everyone else will show up, too... more or less. There is no plot – aside from the fact that it's centered around Thanksgiving – and no real story line from the get go. So, that said – and if I haven't scared you away... read on!_

Another Note: For those of you who wonder, Jack puts up with Ian's potty mouth for a few reasons. Some will come out later, but one is that he figures Ian saved Shawn's life in The Next Step, and someone who saves someone Jack loves is already doing good in Jack's book... (remember, that's one of the reasons Jack likes Emmett Bregman)

_Disclaimer: I don't own the SG-1 characters or their surroundings. I do own all the made up people who show up. (And I don't own Thanksgiving, or we'd have pumpkin pie for the main course instead of turkey)_

OOOOOOOOOO

The young man was leaning against a retaining wall, waiting. At his feet was a duffle bag, and on the duffle bag was a leather jacket that he didn't need to wear just then, but figured he might need sometime in the next few days. He was wearing a USAFA sweatshirt and jeans, something he didn't normally get to wear nowadays. He was good looking, although those looks were marred by a deep bruise on his chin and a slight edge in his dark eyes that told those who passed him by that he wasn't someone they wanted to stop and make small talk with.

Of course, those that were passing him already knew him, and they knew they didn't want to stop and chat. He had quite a reputation – even though he'd only been at the Academy for a few months – and even most of the upper classmen knew that he wouldn't think twice about taking them down a few pegs if they tried to pull rank on him unnecessarily. He had a sharp tongue, and a quick temper, and precious little fear of anything around him.

A horn sounded and a black truck pulled up in front of the building, and the face that had been brooding only moments before was suddenly transformed by a slight smile. The eyes that were so dark and desolate were suddenly warm, and the face was still marred by the bruise, but now the smile softened the hard edges, and as he reached down and picked up his duffel, he felt a surge of delight going through him that he rarely allowed himself to feel.

"Hurry up, Ian, or we're going to make you run behind the truck!"

The order came from Jack O'Neill, although Ian could barely see him past the large form of O'Neill's black lab, Jaffer. The dog was sitting in the front passenger seat of the truck, his head out the window as he watched Ian trot over to toss his bag and jacket in the bed of O'Neill's truck. Jaffer wuffled Ian cheerfully as the cadet opened the door, then moved into the jump seat in the back so he could get in.

"Sorry I'm late," Jack said as Ian buckled his seatbelt. "I had to make a couple of stops."

"No problem, Colonel O'Neill," Ian told him, truthfully. "I didn't mind waiting."

"Good." Jack put the truck in gear. "I hope you don't mind _shopping_, either, because that's our next stop."

"Shopping?"

"Sam has a list as long as my arm, and I told her that you and I would be happy to do her shopping for her."

"Better that we do it and she doesn't have the chance to try and carry it all."

Jack nodded, "My thoughts exactly." He knew there was a reason he liked this kid.

"Well, I can drive a shopping cart as well as anyone..."

"Sam said for me to tell you that you're to get anything you want to snack on, and you're _not_ to try to pay for it yourself," Jack said, looking over at him. "You're _our_ guest this weekend, and you're going to act like it, whether you want to or not. _Her_ words."

Ian smiled. He wasn't used to being the guest.

"Yes, Sir."

"You're also going to stop calling me Colonel, and stop calling her Major – at least for the time you're with us, okay? _My_ words."

Ian nodded.

"Thank you."

Jack shrugged, and turned back to the road, and Ian reached over his shoulder and scratched Jaffer's ear. The black lab had been hovering; sniffing his hair and ear noisily as he reminded himself that he knew who this was and liked him. Of course, Jaffer pretty much liked everyone, so it wasn't hard to make friends with him, and Ian loved black labs – had one of his own at home – so he didn't even have to pretend to enjoy the dog's attentions.

OOOOOO

They pulled into the parking lot of a large grocery store, and discovered that they weren't the only ones who'd been sent to do some grocery shopping. The lot was filled with cars, and Jack ended up parking almost on the complete opposite end of the lot. Jack got out and let Jaffer out, then gestured for the dog to hop into the back of the truck so he could have some fresh air while they shopped. He wasn't worried about Jaffer running off – the lab wouldn't move until Jack returned – but this way he could watch the people around him, and maybe even do some flirting if he wanted to. Jaffer loved to flirt with people.

"Don't worry about your bag," O'Neill said to Ian as the cadet got out of the truck as well.

"Nothing in there to steal, anyways," Ian said, smiling. He knew no one would steal it, though. Jaffer was big enough that he'd intimidate any would-be thief, and anyone dumb enough to try to take it would probably wish they hadn't. He patted Jaffer as he walked past, and joined O'Neill in the walk across the lot.

"You got a list?" Ian asked when they entered the store. It was packed with people, and somewhere there was a screaming child who was making sure the world knew he wanted that candy bar his mother wasn't going to let him have.

Jack pulled a piece of paper out of his coat pocket, and ripped it in half. He handed one piece to Ian, and kept the other.

"You take care of that list, I'll take care of this one."

Ian nodded. Fair enough.

"I'll meet you in a check out line somewhere... if I don't get trampled by the masses."

"Yes, Sir."

They separated, and Ian went to find a cart. It was _only_ grocery shopping, and he had a list. How hard could it be?


	2. 02

The cadet snagged the last shopping cart in what had probably been a long row of them, and looked down at his list as he maneuvered the cart out of the metal pen it had been in. The thing had a wheel that wouldn't turn which made it drag with an awful rubbing noise that made him wince, but he couldn't see another cart to trade for.

"Just my luck," he muttered to himself. "I always get the shitty cart..."

The top of his list – which was the bottom half of the list O'Neill had started with – had milk on it. Ian headed for the dairy section, dodging running kids and swerving around a teenager that thought it was fun to run with his cart and hop on the back and ride it. Ian fought the urge to tip him over and instead stopped in front of the milk section.

Whole milk, 2, 1, or skim... Ian looked at his list again. _Milk_. Turning it over, hoping that it'd magically say on the back exactly what color of lid he was supposed to buy for Sam, he sighed.

"Shit."

"Oooo, you said a bad word..."

Ian looked down and saw a young boy standing beside him, looking at the pudding that was next to the milk. The boy was looking up at him with a smug look on his face.

"No I didn't."

"Yes, you did." The boy said. "You said _shit_. I heard you."

"You said it, too."

"I did not."

Ian shook his head, wondering what he was thinking, getting involved with this conversation. "Whatever..."

"I'm Corey."

"Congratulations."

"You're supposed to tell me your name, too." The boy pointed out.

"What kind of milk does your mom buy?"

"The one with the blue lid, why?"

"No reason."

Ian took a gallon of the blue-lidded milk (2) from the display, and put it in his cart, then looked back down at his list.

_Eggs_.

Yeah, that was easy enough. He turned and headed further down the aisle, ignoring the fact that the boy was following him. He stopped at the eggs and pulled down a dozen of the jumbo ones and put them in his cart.

"You're _supposed_ to look at them," Corey told him.

"What?"

"The eggs. You're supposed to look at them."

"What for?"

He shrugged.

"My mom looks at them."

"I'm not your mom."

A woman came over and reached for a dozen eggs, opening the container and looking at the eggs in it for a brief moment before closing it and walking off with them.

"See?"

Ian scowled at the boy, and reached for the eggs he'd put into the cart, opened the container and looked at them. Maybe it was to make sure they were all there? Since there weren't any spaces, he had to assume they were.

"Whatever."

He put the eggs back in the cart and looked at the list again.

_Cake mix._

He headed for the baking aisle and found it to be incredibly crowded with people. And this aisle held the cart that held the screaming child, Ian noticed with a grimace. Wrangling his way through the crowded row, he dodged carts and a couple more children, trying to ignore the screams of the one that really had to have that candy bar or he was just going to die.

There were more kinds of cake mix than there were types of milk. Ian looked back down at the list, but he already knew that it didn't say what kind of cake Sam wanted. Chocolate? White? Black Forest? Jesus, there were even different _flavors_ of chocolate, as if chocolate wasn't enough to choose from. He grabbed one white and one chocolate fudge.

"My mom gets the one with the spoon on it."

Corey had followed him, and was still full of advice.

"Is your mom here in the store?" Ian asked.

The boy nodded.

"Then I think I hear her calling you."

Corey cocked his head, slightly, a look of concentration on his face.

"I don't hear anything."

"Listen harder..."

Ian grabbed frosting for each of the mixes he'd gotten, and then looked down at the list again.

_Bacon_.

That would be easy enough. He turned and weaved his way out of the baking aisle, more than relieved to be away from that screaming little kid and headed for the meat section. The store was well-labeled, he had to give them that. He stopped at the bacon, and realized it wasn't going to be as easy as he'd thought. There were an amazing number of different kinds of bacon as well. He looked around to see if Corey was there, and then grabbed up a couple packages of regular bacon and looked back down on the list.

_Fruit_

Ian looked at the list again. _Fruit_. Just fruit. Not any particular kind of fruit. Obviously Sam – presuming she wrote the list – knew that Jack knew what kind of fruit she liked, and had known she only had to put fruit. Ian, of course, didn't have a clue. He headed for the produce aisle; already certain he was going to have more than enough to choose from. Oh well, he'd get whatever he saw, and if Sam didn't want to eat it, he would.

A pile of cantaloupes was closest, and Ian picked one up and started to put it into the cart when an all too familiar voice spoke up from somewhere around his navel.

"You're supposed to squeeze it and smell it..."

"What?"

Corey shrugged.

"My mom-"

"She does not."

"Yes, she does."

"She _sniffs_ the fruit?"

He nodded.

"Why?"

Corey shrugged again.

"I think you're full of shit..."

"She squeezes it, and smells it," he repeated.

Ian squeezed the cantaloupe, and put it to his face, pretending to smell it.

"There. Happy?"

"I didn't say _you_ had to. I just said my mom did."

Ian rolled his eyes and put the melon in the cart and looked for some other fruits. Apples and oranges were probably a safe bet. He pushed the cart over to the display, and picked up a bag of each, looking down at Corey, who had followed him.

"She doesn't smell _them_..." He told the cadet.

Ian nodded, and put them in his cart without smelling or squeezing them. Apples, oranges, cantaloupe... what other fruit? He picked up a weird looking one that was labeled as a pomegranate.

"What's that?" Corey asked.

"A pomegranate."

"What _is_ it?"

"It's fruit. Doesn't your mom buy it?"

Corey shook his head.

Ian shrugged and grabbed a couple more. At least the boy didn't have any advice for him. He put it into the cart, and looked back at the list, figuring he had enough fruit.

"You should get bananas."

"What? Why?"

"_Everyone_ likes bananas. You could make banana bread with them when they rot. My mom does."

Ian shrugged and walked over to the bananas and grabbed a bunch.

"Those are too green."

"They're not that green."

"The green ones taste bad."

Ian sighed, and put the ones he'd grabbed back, picking a bunch that were more yellow. He was just putting them into the cart when Jack O'Neill came up to him, pushing a cart that was filled with big bags of dog food and a lot of canned goods.

"Hey, Ian," Jack said, coming to a stop beside the cadet. He looked down and saw Corey standing close at hand. "Who's this?"

"Martha Stewart."


	3. 03

"My name's not Martha, it's Corey."

Jack smiled, looking down at the kid – who was probably no more than 5.

"Where's your mothe-"

"COREY JAMES BOATRIGHT!"

Corey wasn't the only one to flinch at the sharp voice that seemed to come out of nowhere. Jack and Ian both turned so sharply that it was a wonder neither of them hurt themselves. A second later a woman came rushing up, glaring at the boy with a look that would have done any DI proud. It certainly worked on the boy. He paled and immediately lost the officious attitude he'd had when giving Ian advice.

"Mom..."

"Where have you been? I told you to stay beside me, didn't I?"

"Yeah, bu-"

"Don't you yeah but me, young man! I've been looking for you for over ten minutes! Are you out of your mind?"

"I was just-"

Whatever he'd just been doing was cut off, though. She took hold of his hand and pulled him along with her, sparing a glance to Jack and Ian that plainly said her son wasn't going to bother them again and Jack looked over at Ian, his brown eyes surprised and amused at the same time.

"What was he doing?"

Ian shrugged.

"Giving me advice."

"What the hell is that?" Jack reached into Ian's cart, picking up the pomegranate.

"It's a pomegranate."

"What does it do?"

Ian shrugged.

"Do you want me to put it back?"

"Are you going to eat it?"

"I might."

"You'd better." He made sure there was more than one, just in case it looked good once Ian started eating it. "Do you have everything on your list?"

"I need to get butter."

"Okay, I'll go get in line."

Ian nodded, and headed back to the dairy section while Jack went to find a place in one of the amazingly long lines. He counted his items, wondering if 8 cans of cranberry sauce counted as one item. Deciding he'd rather not start a riot by testing that out, he sighed and went into the longer line, behind the woman who had the screaming child who was still howling about the lack of a candy bar – especially now that he was in a checkout line where there were so many different kinds of candy bars to choose from!

Jack sighed, but he couldn't be annoyed; he felt too bad for the harried mother.

"Jesus, woman, give the kid an apple or something and shut him up."

Ian had had enough of grocery shopping. He'd had enough of lines and crowds and little kids, and he'd definitely heard enough of the screaming kid. The woman turned and glared at the cadet, who had come up behind Jack with his cart completely unnoticed – not surprising since Jack had been unable to hear anything above the screaming child.

"Smooth, Ian," O'Neill muttered, although he could see that several other people in the line – and other lines – were nodding their agreement.

Ian scowled, but didn't say anything else, and the woman turned back to her son, who continued to scream.

OOOOOOOOO

"You know, we're probably going to have to work on your people skills," Jack told the cadet about a half hour later when the two of them were heading back to the truck.

"Why? What's wrong with them?"

"Aside from the fact that they're non-existent?"

"Hey, I have people skills..." Ian said, defensively. "I just... don't deal well with annoying people."

"There's a lot of annoying people in the Air Force, Ian," Jack told him. "You're going to have to learn to deal with them until you've got the rank to ignore them."

That was experience talking, of course, and Ian recognized that. He lost the defensive scowl as he thought about that, and then lost the annoyed look completely as they unloaded the bags of groceries into the back of the truck, and tried to fend Jaffer off as he tried to see what all they'd brought him. Jaffer was always good at making someone who was annoyed cheerful, and Ian was not immune to that. He grabbed the lab's collar, drawing his head over to him so he could scratch his ears.

"I got you a pomegranate," he told him.

"You're not feeding that thing to Jaffer," Jack told him. "Not until I see you eat some of it yourself so I know what it looks like."

Ian laughed, and let go of Jaffer's collar so the big dog could jump out of the back of the truck and get into the cab – it was too cold for Jack to allow Jaffer to ride in the back.

"I'm sure it's great, Colonel."

"That's '_Jack'_," O'Neill told him as they got into the truck. "And don't forget it, or I'll make you eat that thing raw."

"You think it's supposed to be cooked?"

Jack shrugged.

"We'll ask Sam. She'll know."

"Think so?"

"She's a genius."

"So am I."

Jack looked over at him.

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Some genius you are... you just bought a fruit that you have no idea how to eat."


	4. 04

Sam went to the door when she heard the truck pull into the driveway, and shivered in the doorway as she watched the three of them get out. Jaffer came rushing over to her, greeting her happily while Jack and Ian went to the back of the truck and started picking up grocery bags. It was almost like they were having a contest, she decided as she watched them grabbing bag after bag and finally pulling them up over the lip of the truck bed and carrying them towards the house.

"You could have made two trips," she told Jack when he stopped at the door to lean over and give him a kiss. His face was a bit red from the exertion of carrying a ton of groceries, but he stole another kiss.

"There's two of us. That makes one trip."

She chuckled and moved to the side so he could get into the house, and smiled at Ian who was just as red-faced when he came to the door.

"How are you, Ian?" she asked, deliberately stepping in front of him so he'd have to stop and answer the question. He was young and strong, so it wasn't going to kill him to hold the bags a few minutes longer.

"I'm fine, Major," the cadet answered with a smile – a real smile that lit up those beautiful dark eyes of his, Sam saw. He still had that terrible bruise on his chin, but it'd only been two days since he'd gotten it, so of course he did. "It's really nice of you and the Colonel to take me in for the weekend."

"We're glad to have you," Sam told him, sincerely. She didn't have a problem with the cadet's attitude at all – she liked him.

"That's _Jack_, Ian," Came O'Neill's voice from behind Sam. "Write it down on your hand with a marker if you need to."

Sam chuckled again, and moved so Ian could go inside, although when she tried to take one of the bags from him, he moved it so she couldn't.

"I've got these, Major. Thanks."

Her annoyed look was only half serious.

"You know, I _can_ carry things. I'm not going to fall down dead doing a little lifting and carrying."

"We know that," Jack told her. He'd dropped the bags on the counter and had come over to wrap his arms around her, swinging her to the side so Ian could get into the kitchen to put his own bags on the counter as well – without her help. "We just want to save you the trouble."

"Don't patronize me..." Sam told him, although she softened the rebuke with a smile that lit up her face and reminded Jack that he was the luckiest man on Earth.

"I don't even know the _meaning_ of the word..."

"It's when you adopt an air of condescension toward someone or –"

"I _know_ the meaning of the word, Ian," Jack told him over Sam's shoulder. Sam laughed and twisted out of Jack's embrace, walking into the kitchen and looking at all the bags of groceries.

"Did you get dog food?"

"It's in the truck."

"I thought you were only going to make one trip?"

Ian had the answer for that one before Jack could.

"We have to get my bag out of the truck, still, Major. And that doesn't count as a trip. Since I also have a jacket, I'll probably need Colonel O'Neill's help carrying my stuff in, so we'll just get the dog food while we're out there... one trip..."

"That's _Jack_," Jack reminded him. Again.

"And _Sam_," Sam said.

"They're not hard names to remember, Ian."

"Yes, Sir."

Sam smiled, "You two get the rest of the stuff out of the truck, and I'll start putting the groceries away."

They both nodded and headed for the door, but Jaffer stayed in the kitchen with Sam – no big shock there. He still needed to see what they'd brought him, after all!

OOOOOOOOO

"Did you get anything for yourself, Ian?" Sam asked when they returned a few minutes later, loaded down with dog food bags and Ian's things. She was browsing through the bags with all the cupboards open ready to be loaded up.

"He got himself a few Pomeranians," Jack said.

Sam looked at the cadet.

"You brought _dogs_?"

"Pomegranates," Ian corrected, walking over and rifling through one of the bags and pulling out one of the fruits to show her.

"What is it?"

He shrugged.

"We were hoping you'd know," Jack told her.

She shook her head.

"Not a clue."

Ian smiled and pulled the other ones out of the bag.

"I got three of them. Colonel O'Neill thinks they have to be cooked."

"That's _Jack_."

"Maybe Janet knows what to do with them..." Sam said. "We'll call her and ask her later." She shooed them both out of her kitchen – which was much smaller when there were two tall men and a large black lab in it. "Go show Ian the house – and his room – and I'll put this stuff away."

"Leave the heavy stuff for us," Jack told her, sliding his hand along her hip as he motioned Ian to lead the way down the hall. "We'll take care of that."

She nodded, and took another look at the pomegranates before turning to the rest of the groceries.

OOOOOOOO

"We decided that we'd put you up in Sam's workshop," Jack told Ian as he and the cadet walked down the hall. "We could have just given you the couch, but by putting a rollaway bed in here, you'll have more privacy and be able to sleep in if you want to."

They walked into what used to be Jack's guest room, but had been modified into Sam's workshop when she'd moved in with him. The room was fair sized, and dominated by a table that ran against one wall, about waist high with a stool close at hand for sitting on. There were all sorts of equipment on the table and on shelves that were above the table, and Ian wondered what they did. His attention was drawn to the bed, which was a twin-sized affair but covered in warm blankets and a couple of pillows and looked as good as anything the academy could offer him to sleep on.

"There's a closet for your stuff," Jack told him. "Or you can just put it under the bed – whatever you want."

"Thanks, Colonel."

"_Jack_."


	5. 05

_Author's Note: Nah, they're not all that rare here where I live (Washington state) but we only get them once a year and I've only recently tried them. Since I'm 32 and just trying them, I figure it's not impossible for other people to have never tried them, and besides, there's the joy of discovery, right? Just a reminder, this story has_ no _plot, so don't panic if you don't think it's developing fast enough... we have all the time in the world to bring everyone in... and I'm in no hurry... I want to play a bit._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Did you have lunch, Ian?" Sam asked as she put the last of the groceries into the fridge, then pulled Jaffer's nose out of it so she could shut the door. Ian and Jack had both been hovering in the background, watching her to make sure she didn't have anything heavy to lift and offering advice where to put all the extra food that had been bought for the holiday cooking. It was warm in the house, so Ian had pulled off his sweatshirt, leaving himself in a plain white t-shirt and jeans, and Sam had told him to just drape it over the back of one of the dining room chairs.

"Nah, but I don't nee-"

"We already ate, but-"

"My fault, I should have asked you when I picked you up. We could have stopped somewhere."

Ian grinned; it was nice that they cared.

"I had a big breakfast," he told them. "I'm fine for now."

"You sure?" Sam asked, dubiously.

"Yeah, I really-"

"We could break out one of those Pomeranians," Jack suggested.

Ian nodded, that was a thought.

"Want me to call Janet and ask her what she knows about them?"

"Nah," Jack went into the kitchen and took one of the pomegranates off the counter where Sam had left them. "It's a piece of fruit and we're two smart guys. How hard can it be to figure out, right Ian?"

"Yes, Sir."

The two of them went to the table sat down, putting the fruit between them.

"We probably need a knife..." Jack said, running his hand along the rough outer edge of the rind.

"I could call Janet..." Sam said, again, as Ian got up and went into the kitchen, getting lucky with the first drawer he opened and pulling out a wicked looking kitchen knife.

"We got it, Major," he told her with a cocky smile, bringing the knife back over to the table. "If it was poisonous they wouldn't be selling it at the grocery store, right?"

"Well..." They sold rat poison in stores, right?

Ian handed the knife to Jack – hilt first, Sam noticed – and O'Neill took it in his left hand and picked up the pomegranate in the right. He stabbed into the rind experimentally, smiling when the sharp point pierced the tough exterior easily.

"See? No sweat..."

A thin trickle of reddish purple juice came out, just enough for Sam to decide they needed a paper towel.

"See if you can _peel_ it off," Ian suggested. "Like an orange."

Jack put the knife down and used his thumbnail to get a grip on the rind of the fruit, and pulled back a little.

"Ugh..."

"What?"

Ian leaned over to look, and saw a line of reddish purplish things that looked more like little red blood cells than anything else.

"Ick..."

"Which part do you eat?" Sam asked, leaning over to look as well. "Those red things or the white stuff?"

"I think it's supposed to be boiled," Jack decided, handing the fruit over to Ian, who peeled off a bit more of the husk, revealing even more of the red seed things. Tons of them, all clumped together in neat rows.

"Probably the red parts," he said, trying to pry one out. It was crushed between his finger and thumb, though, and squirted red juice at his face. He used the back of his hand to wipe it off, but Sam noticed it left a purplish red streak on his face and his hand. He bit back a curse that he normally wouldn't have, and picked up the knife, using the point to pry one of the seeds out. "It's too small to boil."

"Not if you boil a bunch of them." Jack said, picking up the seed and looking at it.

"Eat it." Ian suggested.

"No way. You eat it, first. If you don't die, then I'll try one."

"I'm the _guest_... you're not supposed to try and poison the guest..."

"It was your idea to bring the thing home with us... you eat it."

Sam smiled, and sat down at the table as well.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call Janet? Or Sally? One of them would probably know-"

Ian plucked another seed out of the fruit with the knife, and picked it up. He looked at it for a moment, then shrugged and popped it into his mouth.

"Try chewing it," Jack said after a moment.

"I'm getting to that," Ian told him. He worked the seed between his front teeth and bit down on it – and tasted the almost bitter juice of the seed as it broke open. It was tart, but not too bad, he decided.

"Well?" Jack asked, watching him intently. He could tell the cadet had tasted something, judging from the way he was acting.

"It's... not bad." Ian said, swallowing the little seed part and reaching for the knife again. "It's pretty good, actually." He pried another seed out, but cut it, once again squirting juice on his hand.

Jack looked at him suspiciously for a moment, and then popped his seed into his mouth and bit down on it.

"Hey..." He looked at Sam. "Not bad."

She shook her head with an amused grin, and got up.

"Aren't you going to have some?" Jack asked.

"I'm going to go finish that report I'm writing so I don't have to do it later. You two have something to keep you occupied, so you won't need me for a while, and it needs to be done. Just try not to make a mess."

"Make a mess? Us?"

Ian was already trying to figure out how to get more than one seed out of the fruit at a time – since he'd decided you'd get twice the taste if you had twice the seeds – and already had his right hand smeared with purple juice. He looked up at Sam with an innocent look that really wasn't all that innocent looking – obviously he'd have to work on it, since Jack and Jaffer both had better looks than that one.

"We won't make a mess..."


	6. 06

Sam normally would have written her report on her laptop in her workshop. It was just as comfortable in there, and there was less chance of her being interrupted by Jack – who seldom went into her workroom, because he knew she was usually doing something important there. However, the workshop was now semi-officially Ian's bedroom, and Sam would never have invaded his privacy to do her report – even though he wasn't in the room and undoubtedly wouldn't have minded. She simply took her laptop into the bedroom, leaving the guys the run of the house and giving herself the far more comfortable bed to sprawl on while she did her typing.

Since she wasn't interrupted once – unusual in itself – she managed to get the report written in far less time than she'd expected, and she walked out of the bedroom less than an hour later, stretching and ready to do something more exciting. Figuring by now the guys would be done with their snack, she figured she could convince them they should all go get some fresh air – maybe take Jaffer for a walk, or go for a drive and show Ian the neighborhood. When she walked into the dining room, though, she stopped short, realizing that they weren't going to go walking any time soon – or do anything else, for that matter.

"Oh, good Lord..."

Jack looked up first, and Sam had to bite her lower lip to keep from grinning. His face was smeared with purple juices, and his hands and part of one forearm was equally smeared. Little pieces of seeds were stuck to his fingers and the side of his mouth, and his shirt – which had been a brand new khaki colored sweatshirt – was ruined. It, too, was liberally stained with juice, and Sam was certain it wasn't going to come clean.

Ian was in worse shape; Sam saw when he looked up only a second later. His brilliantly white t-shirt was now splattered with juice as well, and he; too, had the stuff smeared all over his face and arms. There were seeds sticking to his forearms, and he had one on his cheek right below his right eye. Even worse, he seemed to have managed to cut himself, because she was pretty sure that the towel that he was holding against his wrist was bloodstained and not juicy.

The table was covered with bits and pieces of purple and white and even Jaffer had seeds stuck to his glossy black fur. They looked like Barney had thrown up on them.

"All this from one piece of fruit?" Sam asked as she walked into the room to get a better look at the damage.

Jack shook his head, "We ate all three of them."

"Are you serious?"

"Well, most of them," Ian said. "We had a bit of trouble with the second one..."

"A bit...?"

"We thought we'd cut it in half and see if we could get the seeds out faster."

"And did you?"

He shook his head, "It just made more of a mess..."

"And he cut himself."

"The knife slipped."

She could believe that; the knife was just as smeared as they were.

"Are you alright?"

He nodded, scooping a small line of the seeds out of the fruit he was holding, and smearing himself further.

"It's nothing."

Sam moved over behind Jack.

"Lift up your arms."

Scowling, he did what he was told and she pulled his sweatshirt off him, leaving him with a dark t – shirt that didn't show any juice stains – although Sam knew she wouldn't be able to see them if they were there. Ian snickered, amused at seeing him being treated like an errant child, and Jack flipped a couple of seeds at him – which stuck to his neck.

"That's enough of that, Jack," Sam told him, smiling despite herself.

"Yeah, _Jack_," Ian said, still snickering.

Sam walked over to stand behind Ian.

"Lift up your arms."

"What?"

"Better do it," Jack told him, grinning now to see the tables turned on the cadet.

Ian lifted his arms, and Sam pulled his shirt off him, leaving him bare-chested. Which wasn't such a bad thing, she decided privately. He was certainly well-muscled, and hardly an eye sore. She caught his arm, taking a quick look at the cut on his wrist, but she wasn't sure what was blood and what was juice.

"Go get in the shower, Ian," Sam told him, resisting the urge to start picking the seeds out of his hair that she hadn't noticed until just then. "Try not to touch anything you don't have to."

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Be lucky you didn't get it in your lap," Jack told him as Ian stood up. "She'd have you standing in your shorts."

Ian believed it. He also knew better than to argue with Sam – at least in her own house and when she was obviously trying to keep a mess at a minimum – so he did as he was told and headed for the bathroom.

"You can clean this up," Sam told Jack with a smile as she headed for the washing machine with the two shirts in her hand. "And get the seeds out of Jaffer's fur before they dry there and become permanent."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Sam put the shirts in the washer – although she wouldn't actually start it until Ian (and then Jack) had finished showering – and smiled to herself. This was going to be so much fun.


	7. 07

Once he had showered, Ian really didn't have much choice but to come out of the bathroom wearing just his jeans. He hadn't walked in with anything more than that and hadn't thought to stop and get a shirt from his bag before he'd gone into the bathroom. (Besides, that would have meant _touching things_, and Sam had told him not to). So, wearing jeans and carrying his shoes and socks, he left the bathroom and headed for 'his' room, closing the door behind him loudly enough that they'd know he was out of the bathroom in case Jack wanted to shower – and he was sure Sam was going to make him.

He looked around the room, setting his sneakers down on the bed and walking over to the table that ran along the wall. Most of the contraptions that were neatly stacked along its length were completely alien to him – and knowing the nature of Sam's work (and now he did - somwhat) he realized some of them might actually _be_ from another planet. Of course, it was pretty unlikely that she was allowed to bring anything top secret – or dangerous – off the base, which meant this stuff was interesting _and_ probably wouldn't blow up if he were to take a look.

He reached for the nearest thing; a small box that was about the size of a Zippo and seemed to have a blinking light somewhere inside it that made it glow just a little.

"Ian?"

The knock on the door caused him to jerk his hand back, guiltily, and he walked over and opened it, knowing from the call that it was going to be Sam on the other side.

She smiled when he opened the door, wondering why he had a slightly guilty look on his face. Probably because he'd messed up the table with the pomegranate, she decided – although she hoped he didn't think she cared about a small mess like that. She was used to messes. Look who she lived with.

"How's the hand?" She asked, looking at his wrist.

He held it up – but the cut was pretty small and had been cleaned thoroughly in the shower.

"It's fine, Major."

"_Sam_," she told him.

"Sam."

"You get three choices," she said. "You can stay here and do whatever you want. You can stay here and help Jack clean up the back yard when he gets out of the shower, or you can come with me to pick up Cassandra Fraiser, and get a tour of the neighborhood on the way."

"I should help Colonel O'Neill clean up the back yard," he told her, thinking it would be a way to make good on them letting him stay with them.

"His name is _Jack_," Sam reminded him with a gentle smile, "and he doesn't need help."

"_Yes I do_!"

Ian saw Jack walk past the door with a clean towel in hand, obviously on his way to the shower. Sam smiled.

"If you stay, he won't get it done... you and he'll just end up playing with Jaffer in the back yard – which you can do when we get back if you want. _I_, on the other hand, will be bringing a lot of food from Janet's house and some of it will undoubtedly be very heavy..." She trailed off, giving him a pointed look, and Ian smiled, realizing she was very good at getting her way.

"In that case, I'd better come with you and do all the heavy lifting."

"Yes, you should." She looked at his state of dress. "But you should probably get some more clothes on, first."

"Yes, Ma'am."

She ignored the ma'am, and told him she'd be out in the living room waiting, and Ian pulled his bag out from under the bed and grabbed a shirt. Another plain white t-shirt – he really didn't have a lot of decorative clothing to wear. Then he grabbed his leather jacket, and headed for the living room.

OOOOOOOO

"So who's Cassandra Fraiser?" He asked her about ten minutes later as they were getting into her car – a very sporty looking convertible which Ian had to admit he almost liked better than Jack's truck.

"Janet's daughter," Sam told him. "_Adopted_ daughter, really, but she's been with her so long there's no difference."

He nodded, and Sam continued as she pulled out of the driveway.

"_She's_ coming over now, and Janet will be over in a couple of hours to help get some cooking and baking done for tomorrow. I've never hosted so many people before for a meal – especially a big meal like Thanksgiving – so I decided I'd need all the help I could get."

"I'll help."

Sam looked over at him.

"Do you know how to cook?"

"What's your definition of cooking?"

She laughed.

"Can you boil water?"

"Yes."

"Can you make coffee?"

"Yes."

"Can you make toast?"

"Yes."

Sam was beginning to feel a little hope, here.

"Can you toss a salad?"

"Anywhere you want it."

She wondered if he meant that as a joke, but decided he didn't actually know what tossing a salad meant, and knew right away she wouldn't let him have that job.

"Do you happen to know anything about turkeys?"

"I've hunted them a few times."

"Cooked any?"

He shook his head.

"I can open cans..."

Sam smiled, "We'll make you the official can and bottle opener, then, until we find a better job for you."

"Fair enough."

As they drove through the area that Jack and Sam lived in, Sam pointed out a few places she thought he might want to know about. There was a corner store three blocks from the house, and a park that Jack and Jaffer – and every now and then Sam – would frequent when they walked the big lab. There was a school that had a running track (Sam used it far more often than Jack did), and she pointed out Jaffer's vet's office, because they passed it and it never hurt to know where his vet was when it came to Jaffer.

"You're more than welcomed to come and go as you want to, Ian," Sam told him. "We're glad to have you with us, but we don't want you to think you have to stay in the house every minute – and you're not to try and do all the work around the house to make up for us letting you stay, okay?"

Could she read minds, Ian wondered.

"But I'll do _some_ things," he told her. "I'm not used to just sitting around and being waited on..."

She smiled.

"You'll be waiting a long time if you're waiting for that. But I thought I'd let you know what we expected of you, since I wasn't sure if jack had or not when he picked you up."

He nodded.

"So, what's expected of me?"

"I just told you. You're to come and go as you please, and not feel like you need to be the house servant to pay your way."

"That's it?" He asked. "No house rules?"

"You don't smoke, do you?"

He shook his head.

"Drink?"

"I'm not old enough."

"No wild parties – but since you don't have a lot of friends here in town – and _we_ know all of them – that probably won't be a problem..."

He smiled.

"Aside from that, just have fun. And maybe you can be a distraction for Cassie – who will undoubtedly not be looking forward to spending the day in the kitchen with me and Janet."

"Can do."


	8. 08

Cassandra Fraiser had absolutely no idea who the guy with Sam was, but he was absolutely beautiful. Perfect hair – which to her meant a military haircut – and perfect teeth, with beautiful dark eyes that were almost black, and a perfect complexion. God, he even had a nice smile. She thought her heart was going to stop beating when Sam introduced the two of them.

"Cassandra, this is Ian – one of Shawn's roommates at the academy." Sam said, smiling at the look in Cassie's eyes. "Ian, this is Cassandra – Janet's daughter."

"Pleased to meet you, Ian," Cassie said, holding her hand out so he'd have to take it – she had ways of making him touch her!

Ian took her hand for the briefest of moments, giving her a smile that didn't exactly light up his eyes the same way it did when he smiled at Sam or at Jaffer.

"Hi. It's nice to meet you, too."

Yeah, she was cute, he had to admit that. She had very pretty red hair that hung in artful tangles down her shoulder and she had a great figure and looked good in the tight jeans and sweatshirt she was wearing. Her eyes were pretty, and her smile was appealing, but Ian was fairly certain that she wasn't old enough for him – even if Janet Fraiser _was_ interested in letting him date her daughter.

"Is your mom home, Cassie?"

"She said she'd meet us at your house, Sam," Cassandra said, not taking her eyes off Ian, who knelt down and grabbed up Cassie's dog when he came running over to see who was at the door. Cassie noticed he held him easily, although her dog was a little overweight and not all that light. Probably Ian had tons of muscles.

"Is all the food ready?" Sam asked, deciding from the way Cassie was watching Ian, she was more than impressed. God, Sam wondered if she'd ever been that boy crazy when she was a teenager. Probably she had been, and just didn't remember.

"Yeah."

"Why don't we get it in the car, and get to the house? It's too cold to stand on the porch any longer than necessary." Sam said, pointedly.

Cassie blushed – and with her complexion it really showed red – and gestured for the two of them to go into the house ahead of her – which gave her a fine chance to admire the way Ian's jeans looked from behind. She shut the door, and watched as Ian set her dog back on the floor.

Yum.

"Cass?"

Cassandra turned to Sam, who was watching her with a grin, and the girl flushed even redder. Busted.

"Ian's volunteered to do the heavy lifting for us, so load him up and let's get back to the house before Jack destroys it."

Nodding, Cassandra got her hormones under control – more or less – and led the way to the kitchen.

OOOOOOOOOOO

It didn't take long to get the trunk of Sam's car filled with the groceries that Janet had left for them. There was a ham that was already cooked and ready to go – it just needed heating before it was served – and plenty of sweet potatoes in a huge casserole dish. There were cans of condensed milk and pumpkin that were going to be turned into pie at the O'Neill house that evening, and a couple of gallons of milk – with blue lids, Ian noticed, smugly. A tray of sliced meats and cheeses and another tray that was empty but would hold sliced veggies and dip – which were also in a bag that Ian carried out for the two – was put into the car and it was all topped off with what had to be twenty bags of potato chips and crackers. There was a ton of food, and it was obvious to Sam and Ian both that Janet was taking her role of helper very seriously.

Ian gave Cassandra the front seat when they were finally loaded into the car, and the girl put the visor down – presumably to keep the November sun out of her eyes – but mainly so she could watch him surreptitiously in the vanity mirror.

Sam would have worried that maybe she needed to have Jack have a talk with Ian about the availability of Cassie, but Ian wasn't really showing all that much interest in the girl, so she decided to wait and see what happened. Maybe he didn't like redheads.

When they pulled up to the house, Jack was raking the front yard, and Cassie left her Ian watching long enough to jump the picket fence and run over and say hi to him and Jaffer. The black lab greeted her joyfully, and Jack was more than willing to drop his rake and give her a big hug – something he never tired of doing, and Cassie never seemed to mind, which worked out well for both of them.

"No sisters, Ian?" Sam asked as she opened the trunk of the car.

He shook his head.

"How'd you know?"

"Just a lucky guess."

He smiled, and grabbed the heaviest of the containers – which was the bag filled with canned milk and pumpkin.

"She seems nice..."

"She is. And she'll get over the novelty of meeting you soon, so don't get too nervous."

"Nervous?" He gave Sam a cocky smile. "I _never_ get nervous."

She laughed, and grabbed up the gallons of milk, and headed for the door.

"Hey you two, come help or we're going to just sit right here and eat it all ourselves."

Jack and Cassie came over and Cassie opened the door for Ian, while Jack took the milk from Sam, who told him she was more than capable of carrying a couple gallons of milk. Jack assured her that he knew that, and then told her that she should go find a place in the fridge for everything they were bringing in. Sam knew he was just making sure she didn't try to carry anything herself, and while it annoyed the hell out of her, it didn't really surprise her – after all, he was always protective of her, and since she'd become pregnant he'd become downright mothering.

"Did you two leave _anything_ at Janet's house?" Jack asked, looking in the trunk when he came out for another load. "I don't see the kitchen sink."

"It's probably in there somewhere..." Sam told him, coming up behind him and wrapping her arms around his waist. He leaned back against her for just a moment – a moment that the two of them vanished into their own little world during – and then shook his head.

"I don't see it. You'd better send Ian back to get it."

Sam smiled, certain that Cassie would have loved that.

"We'll just have to make due, I suppose," she told him.


	9. 09

Once the groceries were put away Sam sent Jack back outside to finish the yard – despite his protests that it was cold and he was probably going to catch his death of a cold out there working his tail off. Completely unsympathetic – and unwilling to send him company – which would just slow him down, she sent Jaffer with him to keep him from getting too lonely and put Ian and Cassandra to work peeling apples for a pie she wanted to bake.

Cassandra could have kissed Sam for giving them a job that put them so close to each other – although Sam hadn't been so sure it was a good idea after the way Ian had sliced his wrist with the pomegranate. While Sam worked on pulling a ready-made pie crust from the wrapper, Ian and Cassandra stood side by side at the sink and Cassie started asking him questions, determined that he not be a stranger any longer than necessary.

"So..."

Ian looked over at her, then back down at his apple. He wasn't finding peeling apples all that exciting, but had been more than willing to help out – it wasn't like Sam was having him scrub the toilet, after all.

"Yeah?"

"How old are you?"

"Nineteen."

Cassie was silent, waiting for him to ask her how old she was – or some other question – but she discovered the same thing that young Corey Boatright had discovered earlier that day; Ian Brooks was not all that fond of small talk, and never did anything he didn't want to. At least not for someone he didn't know.

Cassie realized he wasn't going to say anything more, and wasn't at all phased. She didn't mind asking more questions. She was good at questions. Sam smiled, but tried to pretend that she wasn't listening in as Cassandra went on to the next question.

"Where are you from? Around here?"

"New Jersey."

"Wow. You like it there?"

"It's dirty and noisy."

"Do you have a girlfriend?"

She tried to make it sound casual, but Sam knew her well enough to know she was hanging on the answer.

"No."

Cassie's voice was positively gloating when she asked the next question, and again Sam hid her smile.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm an asshole," he said. "Nice girls don't date assholes, and I'm too much of a snob to date anything but a nice girl." He tossed his peeled apple into the bowl on the counter next to Cassandra - reaching around her, she was pleased to note - and reached for another from the bag he'd bought at the store earlier. "It's a catch 22, I suppose, but I have plenty of time to figure it out."

Cassandra was quiet, trying to figure out how to reply to that, and Sam was forced to leave the kitchen before she started laughing and gave away the fact that she'd been eavesdropping. She told them she was going to go check on Jack, and went out to the front yard where he was raking the last of the leaves that had fallen.

Jaffer came rushing over to her, and Sam sat down on the step, rubbing his ears as Jack came over, dragging his rake. He didn't really want to rake, anyways, and was glad for the distraction.

"What are you grinning about?" He asked as he came over and sat down next to her, leaning close so he could get a little loving of his own.

Sam looked behind her to make sure she'd closed the door, then rested her chin on his shoulder.

"Ian and Cassie."

"Oh? What about them?" He asked. "Am I going to have to have a talk with Ian?"

She giggled – a truly appealing sound as far as Jack was concerned.

"Oh, it's completely the other way around, and I think Ian's handling himself quite nicely."

"Oh yeah?" He scowled. "He's not being a jerk to her, is he?"

She shook his head.

"He told her why he doesn't have a girlfriend..."

"Do I want to know?"

She smiled, "I'll let you ask him sometime. The answer's really amusing – and somewhat introspective."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

She kissed his cheek and stood up. Now that she'd had a chance to get over the giggles, she was ready to go back inside and finish her piecrust.

"You figure it out – or ask him."

He scowled, and watched as she went inside, closing the door behind her, and then looked down at Jaffer.

"I'm _not_ asking him why he doesn't have a girlfriend," he told the black lab, firmly. He slapped Jaffer's side, dodging the wet tongue that automatically came rushing at him and stood up. "I'll ask Shawn to ask him – or maybe ask Cassie..."

Yeah, that's what he'd do. Picking up his rake, Jack went back to the yard work.

OOOOOOOOOO

Ian managed to make it through three apples before he cut himself. It wasn't even really his fault; he'd just finished an apple and was tossing it into the bowl at the same time Cassie was moving her knife under the sink to wash off apple goo, and the point of her knife cut along his wrist – almost in the exact spot that he'd cut himself earlier.

"_Oh_! Ian, I'm soo sorry!"

He bit back yet another curse he never would have thought twice about muttering if he'd been anywhere but in Sam's house – and jerked his hand away from her knife with a gasp. Blood was already starting to flow as Sam came over, alerted to something being wrong by Cassie's startled apology.

"What happened?" She asked, frowning as she took his hand and held it under the running water, washing the cut out before it had a chance to clot.

"I cut him," Cassie said, watching as Sam washed the cut out and trying to see if it was serious. It didn't look too bad, but she was pretty sure it had to sting – even though Ian wasn't complaining or even looking mad about it. "I'm sorry, Ian."

"It's no big deal," he said, shrugging. "I should have been paying more attention."

Sam pulled his arm out from under the water, and waited to see if it was going to start bleeding again.

"We'll get it taken care of," she told him, reaching for the first aid kit. "It doesn't look too bad."

OOOOOOOOO

Ten minutes later, the front door opened and Ian walked out. His wrist was neatly bandaged although since he was now wearing his sweatshirt you couldn't see it. He walked over to Jack and asked if he had another rake.

"I thought you were helping Sam?"

"I was."

"But...?"

He scowled.

"She kicked me out of the kitchen."

"Do I dare ask why?"

"Because I cut myself and now she seems to think I'm some kind of klutz."

"Ah." Jack handed Ian his rake and reached for the spare that was leaning against the house. "Don't worry about it. She kicked me out of the kitchen months ago for the same reason."

"Yeah?"

He nodded.

"Why do you think I'm raking leaves the day before an expected snowstorm? It's to keep me out of the way."


	10. 10

_Author's note: Okay, for those of you who need the information (and those who don't) Sam's about three months pregnant in this story. So she's still not showing or anything, and she's over the morning sickness – which is probably just as well. Ian is nineteen in the story and Cassandra is seventeen. River's nineteen, too – although he'll probably mention that himself later on when he shows up. Feel free to ask questions in reviews – or send me emails, I'll answer them._

OOOOOOOO

Ian found out almost immediately why Sam hadn't kept him at home with Jack while she'd gone to Fraiser's to pick up Cassandra and the food. It was just like Sam had told him; if he had company out in the yard, he wasn't going to get anything done.

The moment Jack handed him the rake he'd been holding and had gone over to get the spare that had been leaning against the house, Jack had decided he'd had enough raking. When he picked up the spare rake, he held the tool by the bottom end, so the handle was sticking out like an overly long sword. And he poked Ian in the side with it before the cadet realized what he was up to.

Ian turned, rubbing his side – although Jack hadn't really hurt him, since it would have been a jerk thing to do – and tossed his own rake up a little, catching the handle much lower than he'd been holding it. Giving himself a weapon to defend himself with, since O'Neill was already advancing on him, ready for another poke.

"Ever taken fencing?" Jack asked.

"No, Sir."

"Good."

Ian snorted, and lunged, dealing Jack a fairly gentle whack that he couldn't parry quick enough.

"Well... maybe a class or two." He said as he stepped back, giving O'Neill a chance to rub the spot he'd gotten him.

"You took _fencing_?"

Ian shrugged.

"It was that or Ballet."

Jack advanced again, his eyes watching Ian's hips, because he knew that was where he'd find out what direction the young man was going to move. He swung his 'sword' and managed to clip Ian before the cadet could bring his 'blade' up to defend himself.

Ian scowled, rubbing his shoulder, and Jack smiled.

"I might have just managed to pick a few things up from Teal'c."

Ian's scowl turned into a challenging grin as the two of them took a measure of each other – both with a little more respect for the other's prowess – then they lifted their 'swords' in a mirrored salute, and attacked.

OOOOOOO

"Oh, good Lord, what happened to you two?"

Sam had just put the last of the apple pies into the oven when the front door opened, and Jaffer came trotting in happily, making a beeline for the oven to see what she was making him. Behind the black lab came Ian and Jack, both of them dirty and grass stained and Jack holding a hand against his forehead – which was bleeding. Ian was holding the broken end of a handle of some sort – but Sam wasn't sure what it went to, since... well... it was _broken_.

"He got lucky," Jack grumbled, as Sam took charge of him and pressed him down into one of the dining room chairs, moving his hand so she could see what was wrong with him.

"It was an accident," Ian said, setting the stick on the table.

"Want some water, Sam?" Cassie asked, coming over to look at Jack's head, too. It wasn't a huge cut, she could see, but head wounds tended to bleed a lot. She knew that. It probably looked a lot worse than it was.

"And the first aid kit, Cassie, please..." Sam said, shaking her head, and running her fingers along Jack's scalp, looking for other injuries that might be hidden in his hair. "How did you manage to cut your head _raking leaves_?"

"Ian hit me."

Sam looked over at the Cadet, who scowled – although Sam could see the amusement in his eyes.

"He started it. He _poked_ me."

"You _poked_ him?" She asked Jack.

"With the handle of his rake," Ian added. He pulled up his sweatshirt and t-shirt, revealing his flat well-muscled stomach (which Cassie admired as she returned at exactly the right moment) and showed Sam the red mark made against his side from Jack's initial assault. "See?"

"He stole my rake..." Jack mumbled, pretty much aware he wasn't going to win this one – since he _had_ started it. So he'd have to just make up something.

"He _gave_ it to me. I was minding my own business... passing out food to homeless people... when he just came up behind me and poked me – for _no_ reason."

"He was throwing rocks at passing cars," Jack said.

"I was just getting ready to save some children from a burning building when-"

"He was pulling the wings off flies and-"

"Enough!" Sam was near tears from suppressed mirth, listening to the two of them. It was like they'd planned this; only they'd never have planned the cut on Jack's head – which was going to bruise, she decided. "You two were _supposed_ to be raking the yard." Staying out of trouble...

"It's raked." Jack told her. "More or less..."

"Oh?"

Ian nodded his own agreement.

"So if I go out there and check it...?"

"Well... _some_ leaves have probably fallen from the tree since we came in – it's pretty windy out, you know?"

"Besides, we broke the rakes, so we had to stop," Jack added.

"You broke them _both_?"

"_I_ only broke _one_. Ian here broke the other."

"Over your head?"

"No, that was _later_."

"Oh?" She looked at Ian, curiously. He shrugged, once again trying for an innocent look and once again failing miserably. He just didn't do innocent all that well, she decided – probably, he didn't have much reason to practice it.

"I... well, he _poked_ me."

Sam took an alcohol wipe from the first aid kit and started cleaning the cut on Jack's head – she had plenty of practice at this, after all – while Ian and Cassie and Jaffer watched.

"Are you hurt?" She asked the cadet.

"Nah."

"Then you can go clean the-"

"Did I mention he _poked_ me?" Ian reminded her, suddenly rubbing his side as if it ached abominably. "I probably have _internal injuries_ or something that I just don't know about..."

"-rest of the brownies out of the pan on the stove so I can use it again..." Sam finished, giving him a smile.

"I suddenly feel much better."


	11. 11

While Sam finished cleaning Jack's head and bandaging it – with a little Band-Aid – Ian polished off the pan of brownies. He'd offered one to Cassie, but she declined, and since he hadn't had anything but pomegranate seeds since breakfast, he was more than capable of eating the remainder of the pan – which totaled out to three brownies. Which was nothing to a guy like Ian.

He poured himself a glass of milk and came back over to the table with the plate of brownies, and munched them while he watched Sam dab some kind of goo on Jack's forehead – which was going to bruise, Ian decided.

"Hey, I want one of those..." Jack told him.

"You've had enough of them," Sam said, turning his head back so he was looking at her – which made it easier to see what she was doing.

"But-"

"They're dry," Ian told him, shoving the first one in his mouth. "You woolan wan id."

Jack scowled. It didn't look dry to him.

"Sam..."

Cassie smiled; she loved it when Jack acted like a two year old. Add in Ian, and she was thoroughly enjoying the afternoon.

"Hey, _I_ made those," Sam said, acting hurt as she gathered up the supplies from the first aid kit and started putting them back. "What do you mean they're dry?"

"Did I say dry?" Ian asked, reaching for the second one. "I meant they're – hey!"

Jack had taken advantage of Sam's distraction and had grabbed a brownie off the plate, shoving it in his mouth quickly while her back was turned.

Sam looked at him suspiciously, while he gave her his best innocent look.

"Did you just shove that whole brownie in your mouth?"

He shook his head, his brown eyes wide and blameless. Jack was much better at the innocent look than Ian.

"Ask him what the capital of Texas is..." Ian suggested.

Sam looked at Jack, expectantly, and O'Neill shrugged his shoulders, trying to chew without her noticing.

"Ask him what his dog's name is..." Cassie said, giggling.

Jack threw her a look that only made her laugh harder, and Sam smiled as well.

"You're going to choke on that thing if you don't chew it."

Mumble mumble...

Which translated into 'chew what?'.

She shook her head, and ran her fingers lightly through his hair. Like Cassie; Sam loved Jack most when he was in this kind of mood – not that she didn't love him every other time as well, but he was so charming when he was being bad that she wasn't immune to it. She turned to Ian, who had shoved the last of his brownie into his mouth – mainly to keep Jack from snatching it.

"Are you still hungry? I can't leave the house because I have pies baking, but I'd really like some French fries."

"Want me to go get you some?" He asked, clearing his mouth quickly with the help of the glass of milk. He remembered seeing a Wendy's somewhere close by, and figured he could find it again.

"If you're hungry, you could..." Sam said. "I don't want you to go out if you don't want to, though..."

"I could go," Jack said, finally getting his own mouth cleared of brownie while she had her attention elsewhere.

"You just hit your head," Sam reminded him. "I'd rather we waited and made sure it's not seri-"

"It's not serious," Jack told her. "I just hit-"

"Hit your head," Sam said. "Yes, I know. And I just said I want to keep an eye on you until I'm sure you're okay. And I want some French fries." She looked over at Ian. "You have a driver's license?"

He nodded.

"Then you can take my car, if you don't mind going."

And miss a chance to drive her car? Not likely. Ian grinned.

"Sure."

"I'll go with him, Sam," Cassie said. "To make sure he doesn't get lost."

Politeness warred with the desire to tell her that he was more than capable of finding his way around the quiet streets of the neighborhood without her help. Ian managed to keep his mouth shut, but Sam must have noticed the annoyed look in his eyes.

"If he wants the company, Cass," Sam said.

Ian shrugged. Sam had just told him without so many words that she trusted him – not only with her car, but to be able to find his way around on his own – so he could be a little generous as well.

"If she wants to come, she can."

Jack frowned, looking at Ian and then at Cassie, but although he saw a lot of eagerness in the girl's expression, he could tell that Ian honestly couldn't care less whether Cassie went with him or not. Which meant he wasn't trying to get her alone to make a move on her.

"Great. I'll get my coat."

Ian looked down at himself; he was dirty but no so bad that he couldn't be seen in public. Besides, he didn't know anyone around here that he had to impress anyways.

"Where are you going to go?" Jack asked.

Ian shrugged, looking at Sam. He'd eat anything.

"You have a preference?"

"Dairy Queen?" She asked. "They make the best fries. Since Cassie's going, she can show you where it is."

The cadet nodded, and Jack reached into his pocket for his wallet while Sam went to get her purse.

"Get me a banana split, Ian," Jack said. "And something for Doctor Fraiser – in case she shows up while you're gone. We don't want her to feel left out."

"I'll buy, Colonel," Ian said, waving away the twenty Jack tried to hand him.

"That's _Jack_." Jack reminded him, putting his wallet away. "And just for that, you can buy me a cheeseburger, too – and get a quart of plain vanilla so Jaffer isn't left out."

"Yes, Sir."

Cassie came bouncing up, more than ready to be off, and Sam handed Ian her keys.

"A large fries, okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And lots of fry sauce."

He wondered if he should have made a list.

"You want some ice cream?"

She smiled.

"Surprise me."

Which he was pretty sure meant yes. Ian nodded, and headed for the door with Cassie right behind him – admiring the view from behind once more. Jaffer bounded for the door as well, and Ian glanced at Jack who nodded. If the dog wanted to go – and no shock there, since he loved going for a drive – he could go.

"Have you just set the wolf loose among the sheep?" Jack asked, watching the two of them as they went out the door, Jaffer a step behind them.

"Ian's not going to do anything inappropriate..."

"I wasn't talking about Ian," Jack said.

Sam chuckled, and went to put the first aid kit away – then decided she might as well leave it out. With these two... you never knew.


	12. 12

Ian let Jaffer into the back seat of the car and looked over the top of the convertible at Cassandra.

"Think you'd be too cold if I put the top down?"

She smiled; pleased that he was even talking to her – he wasn't much of a conversationalist, she'd noticed – except with Jack, maybe.

"No. I'll be fine."

Besides, he could always put his arm around her and keep her warm, right? Well, no, he probably _wouldn't_, but it was nice to think about.

Ian nodded, and got behind the wheel, looking around for the button that put the top down on the convertible. What was the point of having a convertible – well, in his case _driving_ a convertible – if you had the top up? Cassie got in beside him, buckling her seatbelt while the top lowered. It was a cloudy day – there was snow in the forecast, after all – but if they turned the leg heaters on and they stayed off the freeway it shouldn't be too bad.

When it clicked in place, Ian looked over to make sure she hadn't changed her mind, then pulled out of the driveway.

OOOOOOO

"I like him, you know?" Sam told Jack as she cleared the crumbs out of the brownie pan Ian had cleaned out for her.

Jack came up behind her and put his arms around her, holding her lightly and resting his head on her shoulder so he could watch what she was doing and be close to her at the same time.

"I do, too." He said.

"He's not nearly as hot-headed as people think he is..."

Jack snorted, tickling her ear.

"Yeah, he _is_."

She turned in his arms, surprised.

"Really? He's that bad?"

"You don't see it?" Jack asked.

She shook her head.

"I saw him on Thor's ship and I know he was upset-"

"That wasn't anything," Jack told her, interrupting. "You should have seen him in the basement of Kinsey's house." He smiled at the recollection – although it hadn't been funny or amusing at the time – and shook his head. "He had them all certain he was going to shoot them – he had _me_ certain, for that matter. All because they'd messed with his friends."

"Would he have?"

Jack shrugged.

"I don't know. All I know is that he has the proper attitude when it comes to those he cares about – and once that temper gets channeled properly, he's going to be just as good as his dad was."

Sam smiled, "Is that why you're so sociable with him? Because of his dad?" Jack was good with young people – but usually wasn't nearly so open with those that were Ian's age. Those he tended to intimidate, which was a good way to get them to listen and learn what he had to teach – those few times he was instructing people that age. With Ian, it was a lot different, Sam had noticed. Jack was treating him the same way he'd have treated Shawn.

"I like him." Jack said. "Even if I didn't know who his dad was, I'd still like him."

"You must," she teased. "You just sent him off with Jaffer and Cassie without so much as a lecture about driving safe."

"I'm not worried. He's not reckless, and Jaffer will keep the two out of trouble."

"Oh, yeah, _that's_ the blind leading the blind..." Sam rolled her eyes. "I might as well have sent _you_ with them."

The look Jack gave her was an injured one, but his arms tightened around her, pulling her close. "Or maybe I just wanted to stay home alone with you... away from a young audience..."

He bent to kiss her, and the doorbell rang.

"Bah."

OOOOOOOOO

"Are you warm enough?"

Ian looked over at Cassie for a moment, before looking back at the traffic. There was quite a bit – people doing last minute shopping, or traveling, he supposed.

She nodded.

"I'm fine."

"Let me know if you get cold."

"Where'd you get that bruise on your chin?"

"I can't tell you."

She smiled, thinking he was teasing her.

"Is it _classified_?"

He shrugged.

"It's nothing like that." Of course, he'd been on the bridge of an alien spaceship when Jaffer had tackled him and made him hit his chin on the floor – which he obviously couldn't tell her. "I just fell down, pretty much."

She didn't press, but she wanted to. This was the longest conversation she'd had with him, after all, and she didn't want him to stop talking now that she was getting him to open up – a little.

"Turn right at the light," she told him, pointing.

He did as he was told, and was cut off by a blue Bronco that pulled out in front of him. Slamming on the brakes, he shot his right hand to the side, steadying Cassie with his hand while at the same time using his arm to make sure Jaffer didn't go through the space between the bucket seats and end up in the front of the car. As soon as he was sure they were both fine, he lowered his hand and flipped off the Bronco, much to Cassie's amusement.

Of course, the fact that he'd just had his hand on her breasts didn't go unnoticed by her, either. Okay, it wasn't her _breasts_ – it was up by her _collarbone_ – and it wasn't as though there wasn't a sweatshirt and a heavy coat between his hand and any of her skin, but it was the thought that counted, right? She smiled.

"You okay?"

"Fine."

"Bastards."

She nodded her agreement, and pointed at the Dairy Queen sign, which was just ahead and to their left. Ian took his dark eyes off the Bronco – which was turning right – and nodded to let her know he saw it.

"Drive through?" Cassie asked.

"No. They'll fuck our order up – don't you go to the movies?" He gave her a smile – the first real one he'd aimed specifically at her, and Cassie felt far too warm to be wearing a coat. "We'll go inside, okay?"

As much as he enjoyed driving Sam's car, he wasn't going to let them screw his order up so he'd have to come back. He pulled into the parking lot, and they got out, leaving Jaffer to guard the car since he didn't want to put the top up. Besides, who'd mess with the car with that big dog watching it?

As they walked inside – Ian holding the door for Cassie, who blushed – neither of them noticed the blue Bronco pulling into the parking lot as well.


	13. 13

It turned out, he didn't need a list. He had a photographic memory, after all, and there weren't all that many things that Sam and Jack had told him to buy. Large fries, cheeseburger and banana split for Jack, quart of ice cream for Jaffer – who probably wouldn't get the whole quart at once, Ian was sure. He looked over at Cassie.

"What would your mom want?"

"Peanut Buster Parfait."

He ordered one of those, too.

"What would you like?"

She started to reach for her money, but Ian shook his head.

"I'll buy, Cassandra. I'm buying everyone else's. Just tell the man what you want."

She smiled, secretly enjoying the way he said her name, and ordered a chicken strip basket and a sundae. Ian made sure it was all she wanted, and then ordered himself a double cheese burger and large fries with a large caramel shake. He was just paying the man when the four guys walked through the double glass doors, swaggering with the cocky confidence of youth – and led by another guy who had a scowl on his face as he looked around the restaurant.

Since Ian and Cassie were the only two people in the store, the guy had no trouble at all deciding that they were the ones he was looking for. He headed their direction, his cronies following.

"You driving that green convertible?" The guy asked, coolly, without any preamble as he came up to the counter to stand beside Ian, his buddies ranging themselves around the three in a loose semi-circle.

Ian looked over at him.

"Yup."

"I think you made a mistake then."

"Oh?"

"You flipped me off, didn't you?"

"I flipped off some cock sucker who cut me off..." Ian told him.

The guy – who was probably a year or so older than Ian – scowled.

"Did you just call me a cock sucker?"

Ian shrugged.

"I threw a rock into a pack of dogs and waited for the one that got hit to howl..."

Cassie snickered, getting it long before the guy or any of his buddies did. The guy glared at her, and Ian stepped between Cassie and his malevolent stare.

"You have a problem?"

"I don't like being flipped off, you piece of-"

"Tough shit."

"Hey you guys, we don't want any trouble in here..." The man behind the counter had been joined by another guy – who was apparently the manager of some sort. Ian turned, shaking his head.

"I'm not causing trouble." Ian told him.

"We're just waiting on our order," Cassie confirmed. The other guy behind the counter nodded his head in agreement.

"They're not doing anything wrong."

"Then maybe your friends should step outside," the manager suggested.

"They're no friends of mine," Ian told him, shrugging.

The five guys glared, but with the manager right there, and a cordless phone in his hand – more than ready to call the police, certainly – there wasn't much they could do.

"Yeah, maybe we _should_ step outside..." Their leader said, glaring at Ian, who snorted. What a cliché.

Realizing he was just making himself look stupid, the leader turned and headed for the door, his buddies right behind him. The manager looked at Ian.

"You want me to call a cop?"

The cadet shook his head.

"We're fine."

Cassie didn't feel quite so sure of that as Ian looked. Through the glass door, she could see that the bronco was still in the parking lot – although she couldn't see any of the guys.

The server brought them a couple of large brown bags, filled with their order.

"You two be careful," he warned them.

Ian nodded and handed the bags to Cassie, who realized that he wanted his hands free – just in case. Then he led her towards the door.

"If they give us any shit, you go straight to the car, okay?" Jaffer was in the car, and Ian was pretty sure that no one would be dumb enough to try anything with Cassie with the big lab looking over her shoulder.

She nodded, and he held the door for her.

They hadn't made it more than a few steps when the five guys were there, circling them.

Ian scowled.

"You got a problem?"

"Oh, yeah..." the ringleader told him. "I've got a problem. But not as big as the one you've got."

Ian rolled his eyes, clearly unimpressed with his posturing.

"I'll tell you this once, shit for brains... you step back, or I'm going to make you eat your bumper."

"You're going to fight me, huh?" The guy sneered. "Me _and_ my friends?"

Ian shrugged.

"One at a time or all at once... whatever you want. You're nothing."

"Fuck you, you little-" Even while he was saying it, the guy was swinging, a big fist coming straight for Ian's face.

Ian's left hand came up to block the punch, and he ducked slightly, driving his right fist into the guy's solar plexus, staggering him.

"You Sonofabitch!" was about all he managed to gasp out as he clutched his side.

"Fuck you." Ian pushed him away, making an opening for Cassie so she could make a break for the car. It didn't turn out to be necessary, though.

A low growl caught everyone's attention, and Ian, Cassie and all five of the guys turned towards the sound – to find Jaffer standing behind the leader of the group. The big lab had seen plenty from the car and had come to join the fray – but he'd give a warning first.

"Call off your fucking dog," one of the other guys said, nervously.

Ian shrugged, well aware that he had the upper hand now that Jaffer was there – although he was pretty sure he hadn't needed his help anyways.

"He's not my dog."

"Fucking cocky Sonofabitch..."

"Yeah, yeah. Kiss my ass."

It was a stalemate. Ian wasn't going to back off. Jaffer wasn't going to back off, and the five guys had them outnumbered and their pride certainly wasn't going to allow them to back off. It might have turned into quite a brawl and the blood definitely would have started flowing – but at that moment a black and white police cruiser pulled into the parking lot, and stopped right beside the group. Obviously the manager had decided that Ian and Cassie weren't 'fine' at all, and had called for some help.

"Shit..."


	14. 14

"It never fails, does it?" Sam said with a smile as she spun lightly in Jack's arms, leaving his embrace to go answer the door.

"Nope."

He didn't mind, though. It wasn't as if he'd intended to toss her down on the table and have his way with her, after all. Not with company expected, and who knew if the kids might have forgotten something and came back after only a couple of blocks? But it definitely was a pleasant thought, and when he went to join Sam in the living room, there was a slight smile on his face.

Sam opened the door, smiling when she saw it was Janet.

"Hi. You're early." She looked at her watch.

"Hi. You're not here." Janet replied, walking past Sam with a smile as she came into the house.

"What?"

"I didn't see your car, so I figured you weren't here," Janet explained, taking off the coat she'd been wearing and looking at Jack. "What happened to your head?"

"Ian has my car," Sam said, taking Janet's coat from her and hanging it on the coat rack by the door.

"And _your daughter_," Jack added, mainly to keep from answering the head question.

"Cassie?"

"Do you have another I don't know about?"

"They went to get some fries," Sam explained, smiling, because Fraiser looked about ready to add to the bruises on Jack's forehead. "They shouldn't be gone too long."

"You gave him your car?"

"Jack gave him Jaffer."

Janet looked over at him.

"Really?"

"Not to keep."

She smiled.

"Want something to drink, Janet?" Sam asked, heading for the kitchen.

"Please." She didn't follow Sam, though. Instead she caught Jack's arm to keep him from moving, and used her other hand on his chin to turn his head slightly so she could look at the bandaged cut – and bruise – on his forehead. He scowled, but she ignored it. She was good at that, after all. "What did you do?"

"Raked some leaves."

"Uh huh." She didn't look convinced, but since a quick look in his eyes showed her that he was focusing fine and his pupils were a normal size, she let it slide, and dropped her hand.

"Coffee, Janet?"

She headed into the kitchen, her examination finished.

"Please."

She leaned against the counter, breathing in deeply of the cinnamon and apples that were permeating the kitchen while the pies baked.

"Cassie's with Ian, huh?" She asked, taking a cup from Sam.

"Yup."

"They're fine, Janet," Sam told her, smiling. "How much trouble can you get into between here and Dairy Queen?"

OOOOOOO

"What seems to be the trouble?"

Ian looked over at the police officer who'd spoken – the one driving the cruiser, and started to say something, but the guy that Ian had hit spoke up before he could.

"There's no trouble here, officer... we're just having a friendly discussion about traffic courtesy."

Ian scowled, and the police officer turned to his partner, who was opening the passenger door to come get a better look at things. What _he_ saw were five guys – all old enough to know better and young enough to be too stupid to realize it – surrounding another young man and an even younger young woman in what was obviously supposed to be an intimidating circle. Although the dark-haired kid didn't seem all that concerned, and the police officer had seen the first punches thrown and figured that one on one the boy would probably have been fine. Of course, they _couldn't_ allow brawling in the streets – or parking lots.

Jaffer wagged his tail when the officer came around the car, although he didn't move from his position. He was watching the five carefully, waiting to see which one would be foolish enough to do something that would cause him to join the fray. The police officer looked at him admiringly, but since Jaffer wasn't looking too intimidating, he wasn't worried about the lab attacking. He knew labs were pretty easy-going dogs, after all, although he did wonder why he thought that one looked familiar.

The driver of the cruiser got out as well, and as the two police officers walked over, Ian could see their name tags, now – Reyes and Hall. It was Hall who spoke next.

"It looks like you're having more than a simple discussion..." he said. "Let me see some IDs."

They all reached into their pockets for wallets, and Cassie reached for her purse, juggling all the bags of food and ice cream and wondering what her mother was going to say if they got arrested.

"You go to the Air Force academy?" Reyes asked Ian as the cadet handed him his license. Since Ian was wearing an Academy sweatshirt, it was an easy enough assumption. The boy definitely had a military bearing about him. He looked at the license. _New Jersey_. He certainly wasn't from around _here_.

"Yes, Sir."

Reyes looked at Cassie, who handed him her ID as well.

"What happened?"

"We were-"

"_They_ weren't doing anything."

All of them looked over as the manager from the store approached, scowling at the five men, and looking smug about having called the police on them.

"No?"

"These five followed them into the restaurant and started giving them a hard time."

"The mother fucker flipped me off." The leader of the five said, rubbing his stomach tenderly where Ian had hit him. Hall looked at Ian.

"That true?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Why?"

"He cut me off back there at the corner. I almost ran into him. Stupid bastard."

"Fuck you, you little-"

Hall raised his hand, holding the Bronco's driver back as the man started forward. Ian didn't even move. He'd take round two wherever the guy wanted it.

"Knock it off, before I let him have another crack at you," Hall said. He reached down and took the ID from the guy's hand, as Reyes took the others from the other guys, as well. "Do you have any weapons on you, Sir?" he added with exaggerated politeness.

"No."

Hall looked at Ian, who shook his head, assuming the same question was meant for him as well.

"No, Sir."

Reyes looked at the convertible once he was finished calling in all their names to the dispatcher, who would tell him and his partner if any of these people had warrants or any records that they needed to be aware of. Then he looked back at Jaffer, who had moved to stand next to Ian when the Bronco's driver had started towards him again.

"Who's car is that?"

"A friend of mine. Samantha O'Neill."

"Blonde? Short hair? Pretty smile?"

Ian nodded and Reyes looked at Jaffer again.

"This wouldn't be Colonel O'Neill's dog, then, would it?" It made sense, he supposed – the kid went to the Air Force academy, and the O'Neill's were both in the Air Force. Must be visiting them.

"Yes, Sir. Jaffer."

"Thought he looked familiar," Reyes said, reaching down and stroking the black lab's side. "Never actually do more than see him riding around in the back of that truck – but he's a good looking dog, that's for sure."

Ian nodded.

Since it was obvious that the two of them weren't responsible for whatever was going on – and the manager of the restaurant attested to that already – Hall shrugged.

"You two go ahead and get on out of here," he said. "No sense in your food getting cold."

Ian nodded, feeling a bit of relief – he didn't want to have to explain to Sam and Jack what had happened, and if the police weren't going to make a big deal out of it, then he didn't have to explain anything. Even better. He reached over and took the bags from Cassie – he didn't need his hands free now – and forced a smile.

"Thanks."

The police officers nodded.

"Happy Thanksgiving."

"You, too," Cassie said as Ian ushered her towards the car.

"Come on, Jaffer."

The black lab hopped into the back of the car when Ian opened the door for him, and watched the police and the five guys as Ian closed the door behind Cassie and got behind the wheel. Deciding that it would keep the food warmer if he had the top up, Ian pressed the button and activated the roof mechanism. Then he pulled out of the parking lot – making sure to signal his turn. No sense pressing his luck, after all.


	15. 15

They drove in silence for a while. Cassie had started to give him directions back, but Ian had a good memory for directions once he'd driven it, and he didn't really need it. He didn't tell her that, but she noticed he'd already turned on the blinker before a turn she was going to tell him to make, so she just let him drive, figuring that if he made a mistake she could always help him find the way back. Besides, if they got lost it was that much more time she'd get to be alone with him, right?

Jaffer was leaning over Cassie's shoulder, watching the bags of food and ice cream to make sure they didn't escape, but even his drool wasn't enough to soak through her waterproof coat, so she wasn't worried about that – although she did reach over her shoulder and caress his soft ears for a moment to break the monotony of the silence.

Finally, though, she did speak up, since she knew he wasn't going to and she was tired of the quiet.

"You were very impressive back there..."

He looked over at her, as if to see if she was being sarcastic, realized she was being sincere, and shook his head.

"Nah, I handled it badly."

"You mean because you hit that guy?"

"No, he swung at me first – he deserved that." She saw his hands tighten on the steering wheel, until his knuckles were white – almost as if he wished he'd had another crack at the guy. "I should have gotten you to the car, first, then gone back once you were out of the way. You could have been hurt."

She felt a thrill go through her – he'd been worried about her!

"I wasn't in any danger... between you and Jaffer-"

"I still shouldn't have put you in the position you were in – it was irresponsible." When he looked over at her this time, his eyes were troubled, but he looked back at the road before she had a chance to wallow in that concerned look.

Cassie shook her head – and greatly daring – she patted his leg in what she hoped was a reassuring fashion.

"Don't worry about it. I _can_ take care of myself, you know? They'd have been in for a big surprise if they'd tried anything – Jack's shown me a few things, after all."

Ian looked over at her again – another one of those quick looks before looking back at the road – but he didn't say anything, and they drove the rest of the way in a silence that was only broken up by the dripping of drool on Cassie's coat, and the occasional sigh as Jaffer realized that they weren't even paying attention to his sad puppy eyes and he wasn't going to get any of Jack's burger until Jack, himself, gave it to him.

OOOOOOOOOO

"Mom's here," Cassie said as Ian pulled into the driveway behind Jack's truck.

"Good thing we got her some ice cream."

Cassie smiled.

"Otherwise we'd have to go back..."

He looked over at her as he turned off the car, and gave a soft snort of amusement that made her smile broaden. As far as Cassie was concerned, he was too hot to be serious all the time.

Ian took the bags from her and got out of the car, holding the door for Jaffer, who shouldered his way into the front seat to jump out, eager now to get in the house and eat. He really wasn't looking forward to seeing Doctor Fraiser any time soon – not because he didn't like her, because she seemed to be a fairly nice woman – but because the last time he'd seen her, it had been right after he'd contributed to her being shot with a tranquilizer gun, and he wasn't sure if she was going to hold a grudge or not. By the time she'd been fully recovered from the drugs River (_not_ Ian) had shot her with, he and his roommates had already been back to the academy, and he hadn't seen her since.

"So... do we keep it a secret?" Cassie asked as she got out of the car as well.

"The fight?"

"Duh."

Ian shook his head. He was pretty much the world's worst liar, and he knew it.

"If they ask, I'll tell them. Otherwise, it's not like we were arrested or anything – and obviously we're not going to see those guys again." If he did, they were definitely going to get an ass-whipping next time. All of them. Dumb punk bastards.

They walked in the door, led by Jaffer who trotted cheerfully over to Jack, wagging his tail happily. Jack, Sam and Janet Fraiser were all sitting at the dining room table, drinking coffee and talking while Janet and Sam were cutting up slices of bread into chunks for stuffing for later, and they all looked up when the door opened.

"We're back!" Cassie said, just as cheerful as Jaffer. Since she didn't have anything in her hands, she pulled off her coat and hung it up, then went over to sit by her mom. Janet smiled at her, and then turned to Ian, who'd come over and set the bags down in front of Sam and Jack.

"Cadet Brooks, it's nice to see you again."

Ian flushed, much to Jack's amusement. He was certain the cadet was thinking of the tranquilizer gun incident.

"It's good to see you, too, Doctor Fraiser..."

"He's not really going to have to call you that all weekend is he?" Cassie asked her mom, pointedly.

Janet smiled, and Ian blushed even further, but hid it by pulling off his sweatshirt. It was too warm in the house to wear it, anyways. Besides, it was grass-stained from the sword fighting with Colonel O'Neill.

"He can call me whatever he – what happened to your arm?" Janet asked, reaching out and taking hold of Ian's hand so she could get a look at the bandages on his wrist. Two different sets from the look of it, and Janet knew he didn't have either the last time she'd seen him.

Jack grinned; glad to see he wasn't the only one she did that with.

"He cut himself butchering a Pomeranian."

Janet frowned, looking over at Jack and then back at Ian, but it was Sam who spoke up, although she was hard-pressed to fight back her laughter at the odd look Janet was giving the cadet.

"Pomegranates," Sam corrected, reaching into the bags and starting to hand out the food Ian and Cassie had brought back. Fries wait for no one, after all.

"And I cut him when we were peeling apples..." Cassie said, pointing to the other set of bandages – on the same wrist.

"I'm fine," Ian said, trying to pull his hand away as politely as he could, still flushed. He wasn't used to so much fuss being made over him.

Janet smiled, as if she understood, and let him go.

"We got you a Peanut Buster Parfait," Cassie told her mom, helping get the attention off Ian, who was visibly flustered. It was cute, but she didn't want him uncomfortable.

"Did you get me a cheeseburger?" Jack asked.

"Yup."

"Fries?"

"Yup."

"A pop?"

"No."

"You want one?" Cassie asked. "We could go back..."


	16. 16

Janet wondered about the look that Cassie gave Ian as she said this, but the cadet didn't even blink.

"Nah, it's okay," Jack said, shrugging and sorting through the bags, handing Sam the large fries and adding half of his own – in case she really needed fries. "I'll get something out of the fridge."

"I'm up, Colonel," Ian said. "What would you like?"

Jack scowled and stood up.

"Come with me, Cadet Brooks, if you would..." He headed for the hallway, and Ian looked at Sam, wondering what he was doing. She just shrugged, though.

"Better go see..."

He nodded, and headed down the hallway as well, and as soon as he was out of sight Cassie turned to her mother.

"Why didn't you tell me Shawn's roommate was so hot?" She hissed softly.

Janet looked surprised.

"_Ian_?"

"Yes, Ian..." The girl rolled her eyes, wondering if her mother was blind or something. How could she _not_ see how cute he was?

"Wait until you see River," Sam murmured, just as softly. She didn't need Ian to know they were discussing him – even if it wasn't like they were saying bad things.

Janet nodded, an amused twinkle in her eyes.

"Really?"

"They're as different as night and day," Sam said. "You think Ian's cute – and he's not bad looking, I agree – but River is enough to turn even my head. Blonde hair, the bluest eyes you ever saw and –"

"The biggest flirt I've ever seen," Janet finished with a smile.

"Really?" Cassie asked.

Both women nodded.

"Shawn said they were going to come over tomorrow – something about his mom freeing them from time with the grandparents for a while. Since Shawn isn't old enough to drive, River will undoubtedly bring him, so you'll probably get a chance to meet him then."

Cassie was finding it hard to believe there was a better looking guy in the world than Ian, so she decided she'd just have to wait and see. Sam and her mom probably just didn't know hot young guys as well as they thought they did. They were old, after all.

"What-"

They were interrupted by the return of Jack and Ian. Jack had his hand on Ian's shoulder, and his eyes were gleaming with good humor, while Ian looked as if he wasn't sure if he should be amused or angry.

Jack sat back down in his chair, and looked up at Ian.

"Shall we start again, Ian?"

Ian scowled, but it wasn't a real scowl.

"I'm up, _Jack_. What would you like?"

Jack smiled, and Ian shook his head in amusement, although Sam and the others didn't have a clue what was so funny.

"A beer, if you would. Try not to cut yourself while you're getting it..."

Sam smiled, and looked through the bag for some fry sauce.

"_Sam_? Would you like anything to drink while I'm in here?"

She looked over at Jack, who gave her an amused wink, then started in on his cheeseburger.

"I'm fine, Ian." She had plenty of coffee left in her cup.

They could hear the fridge open – which brought Jaffer from his position beside Jack to come and see what was being taken out for him.

"Doctor Fraiser? Cassandra? Anything?"

"I'll come help you, Ian," Cassie said, getting up and going into the kitchen.

"What did you do?" Sam asked, in a whisper that was so soft Janet could barely hear it.

"You'll see." Jack told her around a mouthful of food. "Maybe."

Ian brought the drinks, while Cassie brought the coffee pot to refresh Janet and Sam's coffee. Then the cadet sat down and started in on his own burger, while Cassie pulled her chicken strips over, and smuggled one to Jaffer.

"What do we have left to get done?" Janet asked as she took her first taste of the ice cream Ian had brought her.

Sam shrugged, looking tired, Ian thought – although it was still early in the day. Jack obviously had decided the same thing, though, because he spoke up.

"Whatever it is, Ian and I will take care of it. You need a break."

Ian nodded his agreement.

It was Sam's turn to scowl, but she knew that there wasn't any point in arguing with him when he was in this mode. Besides, she was ready to take a break. Maybe even take a nap if things settled down a bit – which they seemed to be doing.

"I don't think we have anything left that can't wait until later, Sam," Janet said. "The stuffing needs to be made and the turkey ready for the oven, but it can wait – and should wait – until this evening." She took a bite of her Peanut Buster Parfait, and savored it for a moment. "When I'm finished with this, Cassie and I are going to go home and search through all the advertisements in the newspaper and plan our strategy for Friday morning shopping – which we will share with you tomorrow when we come back to help you get everything else ready. So you might as well take it easy for the rest of the day. Maybe even take a nap..."

Jack nodded his agreement. He wasn't tired – but of course, he wasn't pregnant and trying to plan a huge dinner party, either. He and Ian would either make themselves scarce, or would lounge around the house with her – depending on what she wanted them to do.

"I think-"

He was interrupted by a knock at the door. Jaffer scrambled to the living room, rushing to the door to see who was there. Jack got up and joined the lab. He could tell by the way that Jaffer was acting that it wasn't anyone the dog knew well – otherwise the tail would have been wagging furiously.

He opened the door and found two police officers standing on the front steps.

"Colonel O'Neill?"

Jack nodded, wondering what they wanted.

"Is Ian Brooks here, Sir?" The one whose nametag said 'Reyes' asked. "And Cassandra Fraiser, perhaps?"

Jack looked back into the living room for a moment, then back at the officers.

"Yeah, they're both here. Do you need them?" What the hell had those two gotten up to?

The one whose name was Hall shook his head, smiling down at Jaffer while his partner reached into his breast pocket.

"Nah, we just forgot to give them their IDs back."


	17. 17

"If I ask you why you have their IDs am I going to be upset by the answer?" Jack asked, leaning against the doorframe. To someone who didn't know him, he looked relaxed, but actually he was fairly tense, and Sam noticed it from the back and wondered who was at the door.

Reyes shook his head.

"They were being hassled by a group of guys that apparently had nothing better to do than try to intimidate people at the Dairy Queen."

"Really?"

Hall nodded.

"The manager called us and we broke it up, but Mr. Brooks was doing a pretty good job of handling it himself – with a bit of help from your dog, here."

"He was, huh?"

Reyes nodded.

"Considering there were five of them and one had already swung at him? Oh, yeah."

Jack looked back over his shoulder for a moment, saw Sam watching him and smiled to let her know it wasn't anything serious. Then he turned back to the police officers, and took Ian's driver's license and Cassie's learner's permit from them.

"Was he hurt?" He hadn't acted hurt, but Jack was sure Ian wouldn't have brought this up on his own – even if he'd been injured.

"No." Reyes grinned, "The guy didn't have a chance. If they would have been one on one, I doubt he'd have even dared to try anything after that first punch landed. Bullies like that are usually cowards, you know?"

Jack nodded.

"Well, we've got to get back to work, Sir," Hall said, reaching down and patting Jaffer's head. "We just wanted to get the IDs back before they weren't here anymore."

"How did you find us?"

"Ran the registration on the car," Reyes said, pointing at Sam's convertible. "We had the license number."

"Ah." Clever.

"Well, have a happy Thanksgiving," Hall told him as the two of them turned to go back to their cruiser.

"Thanks," Jack said. "You, too."

Making sure Jaffer was inside; he closed the door, and looked down at the IDs in his hand.

"Who was that?" Sam asked as he walked back into the dining room.

"That was the police," Jack said, looking at Ian when he said it – although Cassie was the one who made a face at the news. Ian just sat there, his dark eyes suddenly guarded – as if he was expecting to get chewed out. "Apparently they forgot to give you your IDs back at the Dairy Queen."

"What?" Sam asked, looking at Ian, who didn't seem to know what to say.

"It wasn't our fault," Cassie said, instantly.

"_What_ wasn't your fault?" Janet asked, suddenly in mother mode instead of friend mode.

"The fight," Cassie said.

"There wasn't a fight," Ian said. "It was a... skirmish..."

"A skirmish?" Sam repeated, looking at Jack, who handed Ian his license and then handed Cassie her ID as well.

"According to the police, some guys were hassling them at the DQ."

"That's right," Cassie said. "They followed us in and started griping at Ian about flipping them off, and then-"

"You flipped them off?" Jack asked.

"Just the driver, and only because he cut us off and almost made me wreck the car."

"Jaffer almost went through the windshield," Cassie said. "Only Ian put his arm out and stopped it from happening."

That wasn't exactly how it happened, but it was close enough that Ian didn't deny it. The lab had ended up pressed against his arm, but probably wouldn't have gone through the windshield. Cassie, however, knew exactly how to phrase it to make sure Jack knew that he had no reason to be mad at Ian. She knew Jack well, after all.

Jack scowled at the thought of his baby being in danger because of some reckless bastards, and Ian looked even more uncomfortable under that scowl – not realizing that it wasn't directed towards him.

"Were you hurt?" Sam asked. She didn't even think to ask about her car – since that was the least of her concerns.

Ian shook his head, still watching O'Neill.

"Ian was great," Cassie said, still coming to the cadet's defense, since he didn't seem inclined to say anything in his own defense. "They followed us out to the car, but he didn't back down. He hit the guy-"

"He swung first," Ian said, determined that they all know he hadn't gone picking a fight. He'd just been reacting to the others – even though he knew he should have done it another way. Hadn't he admitted it to Cassandra in the car?

"And then the cops came and stopped it before things could get out of hand," Cassie finished.

"It sounds like things already got out of hand," Janet said.

Jack shook his head.

"It sounds like Ian was standing up to a bully, the way the police explained it to me. A _group_ of bullies, in this case. You can't fault him for that, Doc. _I_ don't."

Janet frowned, but she nodded. O'Neill was unquestionably right, even if she didn't like the thought of Cassie being in any kind of danger – especially from a group of people. She looked at Ian, who still had that guarded look in his eyes, which made him look even more aloof than usual, and shrugged.

"You're right, I can't." She smiled at the cadet. "And I _don't_. Besides, I can't hold a grudge against someone who brings me ice cream."

Cassandra smiled, and tucked her ID in her pocket. She knew her mother well enough to know that the subject was pretty much closed as far as she was concerned. She looked over at Ian to see his reaction, and saw that he still had that odd look in his eyes. He didn't know the subject was closed, and he was waiting for the 'but' that he was certain was coming. Only it wasn't.

Jack sat down, and slapped Ian's shoulder reassuringly.

"Relax, Ian. Done is done, and they're lucky it was you and not me that they cut off."

Sam smiled, and dipped a small bunch of fries into the fry sauce. "Jack would have done more than flip them off," She told him. Especially if he'd thought there was a perceived threat to Jaffer.

Jack nodded his agreement, and Ian finally started to relax under that agreement. He reached for his burger, and something caught Sam's eye as he did so. She reached out, taking his hand before he could stop her, and turned it over. Written on the cadet's palm in black permanent marker was her name. In large capital letters.

_SAM_

She looked at him, confused, and Ian sighed, and looked over at Jack, who was suddenly all innocent look once more – meaning he had something to do with it. Ian rolled his eyes and turned over his other hand, showing her the palm. There, written on the palm with the same black permanent marker was Jack's name, in equally large letters. And the 'J' was made in Jack's handwriting, Sam noticed.

"What...?"

Ian scowled, but he had a definite resigned look in his eyes, now.

"Every time I address you, _Sam_, I'm to look at my hand to remind myself that you have an easy name to remember, and _use_ it. Or else."

Sam smiled.


	18. 18

They finished their food in relative silence – although any time Sam caught sight of the dark writing on Ian's hands it would cause her to smile, and then hide the smile – which Cassie would see and that would set her off into giggles. Which would make Ian sigh, or Jack smile. Which would make Janet smile. It was quite the chain reaction, and there wasn't anything any of them could do to stop it once it started.

It could have backfired; Jack knew it when he'd done it. Ian had a hot temper and would not like anyone making fun of him. But Jack also knew that the young man had a sense of humor – he'd seen it come out earlier. He simply gambled on the sense of humor being able to win out over the embarrassment caused by being singled out and treated so much like an errant child. And he'd gambled right, of course. Ian never showed a sign of that temper that Jack knew was so close to the surface all the time. He simply suffered in relative silence; every now and then casting a look at Jack that plainly said someday he'd think of something equally embarrassing to do to him to get him back.

And Jack would grin. He wasn't worried.

"So, Ian," Janet said, looking up from her Parfait. "What are you majoring in at the academy?"

Ian shook his head.

"Right now our courses are set – for this year. We have to take prescribed courses so they can feel us out and see where our strengths lie. So I don't get to choose until next year what I'm going to do."

"What are you going to do?" Janet asked, curiously.

"I was thinking I'd take Public Relations."

He was only joking, of course, but he couldn't have timed that worse. On his left Jack had just tipped his beer bottle to finish the last of it, and on his right Sam had just swigged the last of her coffee. Both of them were so startled by his answer – which was as far fetched as any they could have imagined – that they did a classic spit-take. And Ian found himself sprayed from both sides. Cold beer on one side of his face, warm coffee on the other.

Sam was mortified. She grabbed a napkin and reached for his face, but Jack was choking so hard on the other side that Janet had to pound on his back a few times. Ian took the napkin from Sam.

"I'm so sorry, Ian..."

"It's all right, Sam," he said, his smile clearly telling her that he was just as amused as Jack was. Well, maybe not _that_ amused, since Jack was now laughing so hard that his eyes were watering. Of course, that might have something to do with spitting beer from his nose.

"So..." Janet was smiling just as broadly. "_Not_ taking Public Relations, I presume?"

He shook his head, feeling coffee trickle into his ear.

"Not a chance."

He used the napkins to dry his face off as well as he could, and told Sam she didn't need to bring him a towel that he was fine. Jack finally managed to get himself under control once more, and handed Ian his napkins as well, pointing out that he had beer in his hair. Ian snorted, and did the best he could to dry it, glad that he'd taken the brunt of the shower instead of his lunch – since he was still hungry and didn't want coffee or beer all over it.

"I haven't decided what I'm going to do, Doctor Fraiser," Ian finally told her, coming back to the question that had started it all. "I've got time to decide, though. And I'm not in any hurry." He was smart enough he'd be able to catch up on any class once he decided what he was going to take.

"Jack?" Janet looked at O'Neill. "Where's that pen of yours? I'm going to write my name on his forearm so he doesn't keep calling me Doctor Fraiser all week."

Ian covered his food, but neither Sam nor Jack had anything in their mouths this time, and Janet smiled.

"Call me Janet, Ian. Okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

Cassie giggled, and they went back to eating.

OOOOO

Predictably, Jack finished first. He was feeding half of his food to Jaffer under the table, after all. He leaned back in his chair and watched as Sam worked on a bowl of the vanilla ice cream – Jaffer had finished his share of that ice cream far more quickly.

"You want anything else?"

Sam shook her head.

"Janet?"

"No." She was pretty close to being done – all she had left in her plastic parfait cup was an oozing mess of chocolate fudge, melted ice cream and peanuts.

"Cass?"

Cassie pulled her attention from clandestine Ian watching to shake her head.

"No, Jack."

Jack didn't miss what she was doing, but he didn't comment on it. For one thing, Ian showed absolutely no sign of noticing, so he couldn't be annoyed or encouraged by her attentions (depending on how he, himself, felt about Cassie). For another, Ian didn't show any interest towards Cassie in any way. He was polite, but nothing more. He hadn't sent her any looks – as far as Jack could tell – that were seductive or inappropriate, and he was definitely more interested in his lunch than he was her. Of course, he was probably pretty hungry, too, Jack knew.

"Ian?"

The cadet looked up.

"_Jack_?"

Jack smiled, pleased with himself.

"You need anything?"

"I'm good, thanks."

Jack nodded, and stood up, putting his garbage in one of the DQ bags.

"Then I'm going to take Jaffer outside for a bit while you guys finish eating."

He headed for the back door, and Jaffer was right behind him. He'd go out with Jack, sure!

Jack opened the door, and he and Jaffer slipped through it quickly, to keep the cold air out of the house. Janet looked at Sam.

"So what are you going to do for the rest of the day?"

Sam shrugged.

"Relax, I think. I'm ready to."

"You looked a little tired."

"It's been a busy day."

"It's only three o'clock." Cassie said, taking a final bite of her own ice cream.

"Yeah, but I was up early."

"And you've been baking in a warm kitchen," Janet pointed out. "That heat can make you sleepy."

"I'm done baking – for now," Sam said, smiling. "All that's left are the cakes, and I might not make them. Sally's bringing a dessert and we have a few pies already. We probably don't need anything else."

"You can decide how you feel later, and make them if you decide you need them," Janet told her.

"True."

"Or you can let Ian make the cakes," Cassie said.

Ian looked up from his fries; suddenly in a conversation he'd had no intention of joining. Sam smiled, because even though she had felt a slight stab of worry that he might offer to make those cakes like Cassie had suggested, Ian clearly looked a bit panicked that Sam would ask him to.

"Only if he wants to," Sam said, reaching out and stealing a few of his French fries. How come he had so many left and she'd finished all hers?

"I think I should limit myself to being the can and bottle opener," Ian told her, pushing his fries closer to her. "My mother never really let me all that close to the kitchen."

And with good reason, Sam decided, taking him up on his unvoiced offer and stealing a few more fries. She loved fries from DQ.

"We're going to relax," Sam decided. "No more cooking. No more cleaning – well maybe a little," she amended as she watched coffee trickle down Ian's neck from his hair and vanish under his shirt. "But nothing strenuous."

"Sounds boring." Cassie said. "Ian? Why don't you come home with us? We can find you something entertaining to do."

He shook his head.

"A day hanging out doing nothing sounds like just the thing," he said. "It'll be nice to not have any schedule that I have to stick to. Thanks, though."

Sam had suspected he'd feel that way. She remembered how structured academy life was, after all.

"Then we're going to go home," Janet said, sticking her garbage in the paper DQ bag as well. "I have a few things that I need to do, and Cassie needs to clean her room."

Cassie scowled, but stood up as well.

"We'll be here in the morning, though, right?"

Janet nodded, pretty sure that Cassie wasn't so eager to return and help with the cooking. She was eager to see a certain dark-eyed, dark-haired cadet again.

"We'll be here, yes."


	19. 19

_Author's Note: Since someone cough dietcokechic cough pointed this out to me a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd throw it out so you guys could all see it. Not everyone would remember this, after all. It's from Fishhooks and Free time:_

Jaffer stayed next to Jack, who reached out and took hold of his dog's tail, and tugged it slightly, making Jaffer turn and show Jack his large teeth in mock viciousness.  
  
"Some day he's going to bite you," Sam warned, smiling, as she walked onto the dock.  
  
"That'll be the same day the Red Sox win the World Series," Jack said, smiling up at her as she came over and rested her hand on his sun-warmed shoulder.

_How's_ that _for irony??_

_Okay, back to the story! And yes, River will be coming over for Thanksgiving – if for no other reason than everyone is waiting to see him meet Cassie!_

_OOOOOOOO_

Sam walked Janet and Cassie out, but Ian opted to head out the back door and see what Jack and Jaffer were up to. He stood on the deck, looking out over the large backyard and watched as Jaffer went tearing past chasing a stick about the size of Ian's forearm. The cadet shivered – he probably should have put his sweatshirt back on, but he didn't always think ahead – and he was too lazy to go back inside and get it now that he was outside. Instead he headed down the steps to the grass and walked over to where Jack was watching Jaffer's progress.

"Shawn said you have a dog," Jack said as Jaffer came thundering back.

"Yeah," Ian smiled when Jack tried to pull the stick out of Jaffer's mouth, and lab bit down harder, his tail wagging as he decided fetch wasn't nearly as much fun as tug-of-war. "A black lab."

"That's what he said." Jack agreed, tugging on the stick. "What's his name?"

"Bubba."

Jack smiled.

"Hey, I named him when I was 13, okay? It was a _cool_ name back then."

"Of _course_ it was."

"It _was_."

Jack finally managed to convince Jaffer to give him the stick, and Ian saw that the poor thing had definitely seen better days. It was ratty, slobbery and covered in tooth marks. And Jack handed it to him.

"You throw it. My arm's sore."

"That's because you're old," Ian told him, smiling as he took the slobbery stick. Ick. He looked down to make sure that Jaffer knew he had the stick now – unnecessary – and then tossed it to the other end of the yard.

"I'm not _that_ old," Jack told him, scowling.

"Oooooold." Ian repeated.

Jack's scowl deepened, but it wasn't a serious one, and even Ian could see the amusement in his brown eyes.

"You're pushing it, young man... Don't make me kick your ass."

Ian grinned, and made a bring it on motion with his hands, stepping back a pace so he wasn't actually in reach.

OOOOOO

"_What_ are you two doing?"

Ian looked up at the sound of Sam's voice – it wasn't all that hard to look up, after all, Jack had him pinned on his back and was straddling him, poking him with a finger in the middle of the chest as he held his arms down with his knees. Jaffer was licking Ian's face – or trying to, since Ian kept trying to move out of the way but wasn't able to do much more than turn his head from side to side since he didn't have any hands free to push him away. Jack looked up as well, his eyes bright with innocence once more.

"_He_ started it," he said, automatically.

"Help me, Sam..."

He sputtered when Jaffer took advantage of his sudden stillness and swiped his tongue across the cadet's mouth.

Sam smiled.

"Jack..."

"What? _He_ started it!"

Poke.

Lick.

"I did _not_, Sam! I was minding my own business... building houses for the homeless..."

"He called me _old_..."

Poke.

"I did not."

"Oooooold," Jack repeated, using the exact same drawl the New Yorker used when he'd said it only ten minutes before. His finger poked the cadet's chest again, and Ian writhed under him, trying to get free and avoid Jaffer's tongue at the same time.

"Sam! Help!"

Sam's smile grew.

"Jack. You _do_ know it's starting to snow, right?"

Jack looked up, still poking Ian's chest.

"Hey, Ian, look at that; it's snowing..."

Poke.

"_Sam_!"

Lick. Lick.

"Jaffer, come here baby..."

"Call him off, Sam!"

Poke.

Jaffer went over to Sam, more than willing to get a little loving from her and leave Ian to Jack.

"Sam!"

"I called him off, Ian," Sam said from the bottom step where she sat ad watched as Jack continued to torture the hapless cadet.

"Not _Jaffer_! Jack!"

Poke.

"How's _that_ for old, you young pup?" Jack asked him, as he finally rolled off Ian. He'd made his point.

"You got _lucky_."

"Luck had nothing to do with it."

"I slipped on that ball and fell down. I'd say that had a lot to do with it."

"Unless I put that ball there on purpose."

"You _didn't_."

"I might have."

Sam stood up, shaking her head.

"It's too cold out to not have a jacket on – both of you. Inside, now."

With the agility of youth, Ian rolled to his feet, looking down at Jack, who was still sitting on the ground.

"Old people shouldn't be out in the cold, you know? Something about poor circulation..."

"I'll show you poor circulation..." Jack said, getting to his feet – a bit slower than Ian had. As soon as he was on his feet, though, Ian had headed for the steps, stepping around Sam and using her and Jaffer as a shield.

"Bring it on, Old Man..."

Jack lunged for him, and Ian bolted for the house with Jaffer right behind him. Jack stopped just long enough to kiss Sam quickly, then tore off after him, going through the door that Ian had left open. A moment later there was a crashing noise from somewhere in the area of the living room, and Ian's voice squealed once more.

"Sam! Sam! _Help_! He's got me again!"

Shaking her head and smiling, Sam went up the stairs and across the deck, wondering what had been broken and hoping it wasn't any bones.


	20. 20

Nothing was broken. A vase had tipped over when Jack dove over the couch to catch Ian, but it hadn't even cracked. Which was a good thing. Now Jack had the cadet pinned on the couch and had once more started poking him.

"Sam!"

"You heard him," Jack said, looking at her. "He called me _old_."

She closed the door behind her and walked over to the couch, looking down at Ian, who was red-faced but didn't seem to be in any danger of dying any time soon.

"For such a bright young man, you're not all that smart," she noted, smiling.

Realizing he wasn't going to get any help, Ian turned to the only one left.

"_Jaffer_! Jaffer! Here boy! Help me, buddy!"

Jaffer came bounding over – and promptly started licking Ian's face again. Sputtering, the cadet once more tried to wriggle out from underneath Jack. Sam laughed until her sides hurt, but finally had to call them off before she peed herself.

"Okay, that's enough, guys. I want the couch."

"Awww..."

She smiled, and pushed Jack off Ian – which pushed him off the couch, as well. He landed on the floor between the couch and the coffee table, and Jaffer jumped on him, eager for more wrestling.

Gasping, Ian sat up and rubbed his chest, then turned his head and looked up at Sam.

"Thanks. I thought the cow was going to squish me."

"Did he just call me a cow?" Jack's voice was muffled by Jaffer's big body.

"No," Ian said, tumbling off the couch by going over the arm so he could avoid Jack. "I think your hearing's going, Old Man."

He stepped behind Sam once more, this time his hands on her upper arms to hold her firmly between him and Jack. Sam laughed. Then realized that Ian smelled like beer. Which was all Jack's fault, of course. And the beer even drowned out the smell of coffee, so Sam didn't have to feel at all guilty.

"You need a shower, Ian," Sam told him. "You smell like a brewery."

"And you _stink_!" Jack called, dragging himself out from under Jaffer.

Sam touched the cadet's arm, which was cold. Of course, he'd been outside in the cold for far too long, too. A shower would warm him up so they didn't have to worry about him catching a cold.

"You're _freezing_."

"It's all Jack's fault," Ian said, still keeping Sam between him and the Colonel. "He's picking on me."

"Yeah, he _does_ that," Sam agreed, pushing Ian towards the hallway and the bedroom. "Go get something to change into, I'll get you a dry towel."

He did as he was told, and disappeared into the bedroom, and Sam went over to the couch where Jack was now cuddling Jaffer to calm him down again while he watched her and Ian talk.

"You're really enjoying his company, aren't you?" She asked, softly, leaning over the back of the couch and stealing a kiss.

O'Neill smiled, and nodded.

"Yeah." He might have said more, but the door to 'Ian's' room opened and Sam went to get him a towel.

"Don't forget to wash behind your ears," Jack called.

"I _have_ to," Ian said. "You spit all over them."

Oh yeah.

Ian vanished into the bathroom, and a few minutes later they heard the shower going.

"You want some coffee?" Sam asked. Jack was cold, too, she knew.

"Please."

He leaned back and put his feet up on the couch, Jaffer snuggled warmly beside him. A moment later Sam joined him, sitting on the other side and handing him a cup of coffee.

"So?"

He looked at her.

"So?"

"So why are you enjoying his company so much?"

Jack looked over towards the bathroom – although they could still hear the water running – and shrugged.

"I'm not sure... maybe because I can beat on him and it won't hurt him..." He took a sip of his coffee. "Shawn's great, of course, and I love having him with me, but he'd still too little to beat up on. I have to be careful with him." He ran his hand along her belly, smiling slightly. "And I obviously can't pick on you."

"What about Teal'c and Daniel?"

Jack's smile grew.

"Daniel is my primary target, of course – and if I want to _get beat up on_ I'll pick on Teal'c. I can handle Ian – no matter how old he thinks I am."

"That's it?" Sam asked, raising her eyebrow in a perfect imitation of Teal'c's eyebrow thing.

Jack shrugged.

"No, not really..."

She nudged him with her elbow.

"Come on, tell me..."

Jack looked over at the bathroom once more.

"I like him, Sam. Aside from the fact that according to Shawn he's the smartest person at the academy, he's a lot like I was at that age."

"Cute?"

"Angry."

"Buffed?"

"Unfocused."

"Adorable?"

"Undisciplined."

She leaned her head on his shoulder, wishing she'd seen Jack when he was Ian's age and trying to picture him that young. Jack put his arm around her, holding her.

"He's going to be something great, you know? Like Shawn's going to be great – only Ian doesn't have the benefit of the Asgard teaching him."

"So you're taking him under your wing?"

Jack snorted softly, and shook his head.

"Not really. I'm just enjoying his company – right now. But if he ever needed to come to me for something – something he couldn't or _wouldn't_ go to his dad about – I'd like him to be able to think he can, you know?"

She smiled, and kissed his cheek – which was still cold.

"And you'll never tell him that, will you?"

"Are you kidding? I'd call Teal'c's mother a dirty name first."


	21. 21

By the time Ian came out of the shower – wearing dark blue sweats and another white t-shirt and looking refreshed and still a bit damp – Jack had started a fire in the fireplace and was now sitting on the sofa with Sam's head on his leg as she stretched out, relaxing. Jaffer was lounging in front of the fire, and the TV was on – showing a college football game, although the sound was down so low you could barely hear the announcers.

Sam didn't lift her head from Jack's leg, but she did look up at Ian when he walked over.

"Warmer?"

He smiled and nodded.

"Much. Thanks."

"Miami's playing Tennessee," Jack told him. "Are you a football fan?"

"Of course."

"Chicago?"

Ian snorted.

"Who'd go for them?"

Jack scowled.

"People from Chicago."

Sam laughed, and Ian walked over and ignored the big easy chair in favor of sprawling on the floor beside Jaffer, who was more than willing to share his warm spot with the cadet.

"I'm an Eagles fan."

"I thought you were from New York?" Sam asked.

"I live in New Jersey, technically – although I was born in New York. I hate the Mets, hate the Yankees, I hate the Giants – I kind of like the Jets, but not enough to root for them – and I don't like the Knicks – I'm not a big basketball fan."

"Rangers?" Jack asked.

Ian shrugged, running his hand along Jaffer's shoulder, which prompted the lab to roll over and present his stomach to be rubbed.

"Hockey's fun to play, but not to watch. But I'll watch the Islanders and the Flyers if I get desperate enough."

"Hockey's the greatest thing since sliced bread," Jack told him, stoutly.

Ian shrugged again, and rolled over onto his back, shifting so he could use Jaffer as a pillow.

"If you say so, _Jack_. It's your house, after all."

"That's right, it is..."

"_And_ I was told to never argue with geriatrics."

Sam snorted and Jack scowled down at her.

"You heard him... when he finds himself dumped headfirst into a snow bank, he's not going to be able to come running to you whining..."

"It hasn't snowed enough to make a decent snow bank," Sam told him, turning her head – still without lifting it from his leg – and looking towards the window. Through the gossamer curtains she could see that the snow was still falling. "I wonder if the snow will slow down air traffic...?"

"Only if there's a lot of it," Jack assured her. "It's Colorado; they're used to a lot of snow."

"Well, yeah... that's true..."

Ian watched the two of them as he rubbed Jaffer's belly, idly. The last place he would have expected to be this Thanksgiving was at their house – he hadn't even known them all that long, really, and they were really opening their home up to him and treating him like one of the family. Better than his own family, even. He'd figured he was going to end up just hanging out at the academy for the five day holiday – since it had been a forgone conclusion that his dad was going to have other plans than spending it with him – and Ian's mother would be with him (as she should be, he admitted). Besides, it was too much of a travel hassle to go all the way to New Jersey just to spend a couple days at home. Especially if it was empty.

This was much better than the academy – although he'd been a bit pissed at Shawn for asking Jack and Sam to take him in without asking Ian, first. He hadn't wanted to intrude and he wasn't sure that they wouldn't have taken him just because they felt obligated to because Shawn asked. But they were treating him great – and he was thoroughly enjoying himself. Even if he was getting picked on – he had to admit he liked _that_, too. Although he couldn't think of anyone else he'd put up with it from.

"What do you do for fun, Ian?" Sam asked him, pulling him out of his reverie.

"At school?"

She smiled.

"At school you run, I know. What about when you're home? What do you do?"

"I box. I go to the park with Bubba..." he ignored Jack's grin at the name of his dog – yeah, like _Jaffer_ was any better a name than Bubba? "I hunt, shoot, drive fast when I can get away with it, play around on the Internet and I do a lot of reading."

"What do you read?"

"You _box_?" Jack asked.

"Yeah." Ian flexed his arm – producing a finely shaped bicep. "Of _course_ I box – every red-blooded American boy should box."

"And you _fence_," Jack added.

Ian shrugged.

"Only when pressed."

"Busy," Sam said, impressed.

"It gives me something to do..." He said, trailing off, his hand finding a slightly rough spot on Jaffer's side. He looked down and parted the hair, and saw a very thin, almost unnoticeable scar. He traced it with his finger gently, and found it ran along the lab's side pretty far. "Wow, how did he manage that?"

"Scar?" Jack asked.

Ian nodded.

"He's had his share of incidents," Jack told him, evasively. No sense getting into _that_.

"You think that's an impressive scar, you should see some of Jack's," Sam told him. "He's got one right on his butt that-"

"I'll pass," Ian told her, smiling, while Jack grabbed a throw pillow and held it over her head to muffle her voice. Sam giggled, and pulled the pillow away.

"It's a cute one, though..."

"Everything about me is cute," Jack said, preening. "That's why she loves me, you know?"

"That's what I hear..." Ian agreed.

"What did you hear?" Jack asked.

"What?"

"What did you hear about me?"

"Who says I heard anything about you?"

"You just did."

"I did not."

"Yes, you did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Didn't."

"Did."

"Did-"

"Guys..." Sam broke that up, sensing that they'd be able to go one like that forever without annoying either of them. But it was already getting to her.

"He started it," Ian said, before Jack could.

"_I'm_ going to take a nap." Sam said. "Why don't you two find something to do and play nice?"

"You're sleeping out _here_?" Jack asked.

"If I don't, you'll probably destroy the house."

Jack frowned, looking over at Ian.

"So... you box?"

He nodded.

"No." Sam said, before either of them could get any bright – or not so bright – ideas. "You're _not_ boxing." That was all she needed, one or both of them getting beat up. "Why not play chess?"

"You play chess?" Ian asked Jack.

"Of course. I practically invented the game, you know?"

"I believe it," Ian told him, sitting up. "I hear it's thousands of years old."

Sam smiled, and Ian didn't manage to duck before the throw pillow came sailing in to hit him in the face.

"I'll get the board," Jack said, giving Sam notice so she could move her head and let him up. Which she did. Ian stood up and brought her the throw pillow, and then headed for the dining room table, where they'd be out of the way.

Sam tucked the pillow under her head, and closed her eyes, pleased with herself. That'd keep them out of trouble for a while. Jack was an excellent chess player, after all.


	22. 22

When Sam woke it was to an almost complete silence in the house. The overhead light in the living room was off, as was the TV – the only light was coming from the fireplace and the dining room. She lay still for a moment, trying to figure out why she was suddenly feeling a slight dread – and realized after a long moment that it was the silence that had her worried. She looked around, her head still on the pillow, and saw that the heavy warmth that was pressed against the back of her legs was in fact Jaffer, who was snoring lightly.

Then she heard a murmur from behind her and sat up, sleepily, looking towards the dining room, and saw that Jack and Ian were both seated at the dining room table, the chessboard between them. They weren't bleeding as far as she could tell. She looked at her watch, and saw that she'd been asleep for over four hours. Four hours of chess? Sliding her hand along Jaffer's silky shoulder to wake him up, she got to her feet, stretching sleepily and walked over to the two.

Ian saw her coming first since he was facing her, and he looked up from the board to give her a smile. He was playing black, and there were a small handful of chessmen on the right side of the table – apparently victims of Jack's white pieces. Sam did a quick double-check to make sure Ian wasn't bleeding, but all she could see was the same bruise on his chin that had been there when he'd arrived at the house. She smiled back, and leaned against Jack's back, resting her head on his shoulder and looking over at the chessboard as well.

Jack turned his head to give her a kiss, his hand coming up to her arm in greeting, and Sam saw Ian slip a few of his black pawns and one rook from the side of the board back into spaces on the board while Jack had his attention on Sam. Surprised that he'd cheat so blatantly, she gave him a shocked look, but he only grinned. Which made him look so cute she had to smile back.

"How'd you sleep?" Jack asked, turning back to the board.

"Great."

If Jack noticed the added pieces to the board, he didn't give any indication. Instead he took a long look, and then moved his Bishop along a series of white spaces until he was almost on the other side of the board. Once he settled the piece, he took the two black chessmen – both pawns – that had been in the line of sight and handed them to Ian.

"You took out two guys in one move?" Sam asked, confused.

Jack nodded.

"We got bored playing the old way so we've changed the rules a little."

"A little?"

As she watched, Ian moved his knight, landing the horse five spaces down and one space over, and taking out the two chessmen that the flight of the knight had covered.

"He can't go that far..." Sam pointed out.

"My horses are in much better shape than the horses of most players," Ian said.

"And everyone he goes over gets knocked off the board?"

"We figured he probably would shi- _crap_ on them as he flew over them, and they'd need a time out after that. I know I would."

Jack nodded his agreement as Jaffer came over and greeted first him, and then Ian, making sure that they hadn't changed while he'd been asleep on the couch with Sam. Satisfied that they were the same people they had been, the lab went to the back door and looked back at them, clearly wanting out.

"Let him out, will you, Ian?"

"Sure."

The cadet went to the door and let opened it – turning on the porch light – and while he had his back turned Jack added five of his white pieces back to the board. None of them were pieces that Ian's knight had taken the move before. Apparently, even though he was cheating, he agreed that those pieces needed a time out.

"How many games have you played?" Sam asked as Ian came back and sat down.

"This is still the first one."

Well, if they were adding their pieces back into the game and had changed the rules – and God only knew what other changes to the rules they'd made – then Sam could understand how they'd probably be able to amuse themselves for so long. She watched as Jack moved his rook and took out a pawn, but instead of retiring him to the side, Ian put the pawn down on the side and replaced it with a bishop, putting it in the spot next to the one Jack had taken.

"And that's...?"

Ian looked up at her.

"He's a _Buddhist_ pawn; he reincarnates into a higher life-form once he gets taken. Unless of course he's been doing bad things – which the pawns never do – then he'll come back next time as a pawn again instead of turning into a Queen."

Of course.

She ran her hand along Jack's shoulders, admiring the musculature there as she did so.

"How many Buddhist pawns do you have, Ian?"

"Three, but two of them are higher life-forms right now." He pointed to the bishop and to the knight that had been moved previously.

"And you, Jack?"

"Three," Jack told her, pointing to his rooks and one bishop. "Mine are all good right now, but I suppose they're going to be cut down for some prideful sin or something, then they'll go back to being pawns."

Which told her that the game – while being played under the craziest set of rules Sam had ever heard of – was also being played with some brains, because the two of them were forced to keep track of who had been killed by what and what they'd been before they were 'reincarnated' and how many times they'd been added to the board in a cheating matter and also she supposed a million of other little nuances that she hadn't yet seen. It was eclectic and incredibly complicated – and both of them seemed to be having no trouble keeping track of things. Her little geniuses.

She smiled, and nibbled slightly on Jack's ear for just a moment, which distracted him enough that Ian managed to sneak two more pawn onto the board while he had his head turned.

"Have you guys had dinner?"

Jack shook his head, and looked back at the board, but Ian had already added his men and was watching him and waiting for him to make his move.

"We were waiting for you."

"Are you about done here?"

"Nowhere near, but we can put it on hold. Right Ian?"

The cadet nodded, taking a quick look at the board – probably, Sam decided, memorizing where all the pieces were and _what_ they were at that moment.

"Are you hungry?" Sam asked them.

"I could eat."

"Me, too."

"Soup and sandwiches?"

"We'll make it. You go relax."

She frowned, uncertain about that, but Ian was already picking up the chessmen and then the board, clearing the game until a later time.

"Go on, Sam," he told her. "Even we can't screw up a couple of sandwiches."

Uh huh. Then why did she think they could?


	23. 23

_Author's Note: Hey you all, sorry it took me so long to get this out. I've been swamped with election stuff today – watching local and federal speeches and stuff like that. It's just been too distracting, and I didn't want to try to write while distracted like that. Of course, I'll make it up to you guys eventually – maybe tonight if I stay up late – but probably not until this weekend when I'll have more time to write. (Of course, by then River and Shawn should be around, too, hmmm?)_

OOOOOOOOOO

"How hungry are you, Sam?"

She looked up from the TV guide – which she was checking to see if there was anything more interesting than football to watch – and saw that Ian had come up behind her.

"Starved."

He nodded and went back into the kitchen.

"She says she's starved," Ian reported to Jack, who was digging through the cupboards for cans of soup and a kettle to cook it in. "How many sandwiches does that mean she'll eat?"

"We'll make her three – if she doesn't want them all, we can finish them. You want tomato soup or chicken noodle?"

"What kind of sandwiches are we having?" Ian asked, opening the fridge. Jaffer was there instantly, looking to see what he wanted – and there was plenty.

"Whatever you make."

"Oh."

If it was grilled cheese then you _had_ to have tomato soup, but if it was anything else, then it was chicken noodle.

"Chicken noodle."

Jack pulled out a couple cans, while Ian rifled through the food in the fridge, pulling out a large package of deli sliced ham and then another of roast beef. He saw turkey as well, but wisely held back from pulling it out, since he knew he was going to be up to his ears in turkey starting the next afternoon.

"Swiss or cheddar?"

Jack looked over his shoulder.

"Both – and grab that colby jack, too."

Ian nodded, and did as he was told, and then loaded up with a head of lettuce, tomatoes and mustard and mayo. He looked for horseradish, but didn't see any – although he did find some Dijon that he pulled out, too. His arms full, he stepped back, and promptly tripped over Jaffer – who he'd lost sight of while gathering the sandwich stuff.

It was an indication of just how much he _really_ wanted a sandwich that he didn't lose anything in his arms as he fell backwards, landing hard on the kitchen floor. Jaffer was on him in an instant, and Jack was there, too, concern warring with amusement.

"You okay?"

"What happened?" Sam asked, looking over the back of the couch, and unable to see anything but one of Ian's legs.

"Nothing," Jack called. "Everything's fine." He looked down at Ian, who he was kneeling beside. "Nothing broken?" He asked, softly enough to keep Sam from hearing.

"Nah. I've had worse. Help me up."

He didn't dare put anything on the floor – he had a lab, after all, and didn't need to be reminded that Jaffer would probably make it all vanish if given half a chance.

Jack grabbed him by the shoulders and pulled him up, showing a strength that belied the age that Ian kept teasing him about.

"No blood?"

"Is he _bleeding_?" Sam asked from the couch.

"Of course not," Jack called, looking intently at the cadet for a minute. "You're not bleeding, right?" He whispered.

"I'm fine." Ian told him. "I'm fine, Sam." He said a little louder so she could hear him.

He went over and set everything down on the counter, then hunted for the bread while Jack went back to opening soup cans.

OOOOOOOOOO

"_Three_ sandwiches?"

"_Jack_ said you'd eat them," Ian said, slightly defensively.

They were sitting at the table, and Ian had just presented Sam with a plate filled with thick sandwiches while at the same time Jack had set a bowl of soup in front of her – both impressed with themselves because they'd made dinner and there wasn't any blood, and there wasn't a fire, or a flood, or even any smoke. Of course, it was hard to screw up soup and sandwiches, but they both had a sneaking suspicion that Sam had expected them to.

"_Three_?"

Sam looked at Jack, who gave her his innocent look.

"Ian said you were starving."

"I said I was _starving_, not that I wanted a meal for four."

"You're eating for _two_," Jack reminded her.

She smiled, "The baby is _this_ big, Jack," she told him holding her finger and thumb about four inches apart. "I don't think he's up for eating his share of this meal."

"_She_." Jack corrected. "And there's nothing wrong with wanting her to be full. You don't want her to go hungry, do you?"

Ian grinned and dug into his own dinner – which was even larger than Sam's – while the two of them got into what seemed to be a common debate about the sex of their baby. He was young and healthy, and still growing, right? There was no doubt in his mind that he'd finish his dinner – and Sam's too, if she needed him to. Of course, Jaffer was under the table next to Jack's feet, more than willing to help as well.

"Ian?"

He looked up; he'd been so involved in his meal that he hadn't realized they'd stopped their bantering and someone had addressed him.

"Hmm?"

"Did you have anything you wanted to do tonight?" Sam repeated, smiling at his single-mindedness when it came to a meal. "We could go to a movie or go rent some..."

He shook his head, looking out the sliding glass door towards the backyard. In the light from the house, he could see that the snow was still falling – harder than before it looked like – and he had no desire to go out and do anything if he didn't have to.

"Only if you want to," he told her honestly. "I'm fine sitting in front of the fireplace doing absolutely nothing but soaking up the heat."

Sam smiled. That was fine with her. She looked over at Jack, questioningly, but he shook his head.

"I'm tired."

"Then it's unanimous," She said. "Relaxing evening at home..."

"I'm going to bed as soon as Ian finishes dishes."

"What?"

"Hey, I cooked. The cook doesn't have to do dishes."

"I cooked, too."

"You did not."

"I made sandwiches."

Jack reached out and touched one of his sandwiches.

"It's cold. I don't see any signs of cookage."

"_Cookage_ isn't a word."

"Yes, it is."

"I'll do the dishes," Sam said, laughing and interrupting them before they could start the whole 'is', 'isn't' thing.

Jack looked almost disappointed.


	24. 24

When they were finished eating and Sam had slipped the last sandwich to Jaffer under the table, Ian shooed her out of the kitchen, telling her that there weren't all that many dishes and he didn't mind doing them – she could go relax.

"I don't mind doing them," Sam said, following him as he carried their plates and bowls to the sink.

"I don't mind, either," he told her as she came over and stood next to him.

"But you _cooked_." She said, pushing against him with her elbow to try and move him away from the sink. He was very solid, though, and didn't even budge.

"Jack, come get your wife before I'm forced to carry her out of here bodily."

"You wouldn't!" Sam laughed, reaching for the sink plug.

"Jack!"

"I'm busy doing nothing," came an answer from the living room. "You deal with her."

"You heard him," Ian warned her.

"You don't scare me, big shot. Go lounge in front of the fire and soak up the heat like you said you wanted to and let me do the dishes." She reached for the faucet and suddenly found herself swept up into his arms – so quickly she didn't even have a chance to struggle. "_Hey_!"

"I warned you," he told her, turning around and heading for the living room while Sam threw her arms around his neck.

"Don't drop me..."

"Never."

She wasn't worried, really, since the arms that were holding her were steady and he didn't seem to be having any trouble.

"Jack, save me!"

He met Ian at the entrance to the living room, and held his arms out. The cadet handed Jack his wife with a slight smile and Sam felt like a sack of potatoes being passed back and forth.

"Keep her occupied for me, will ya?"

"Yes, Sir," Jack cuddled Sam close as Ian turned and went back into the kitchen, Jaffer following him, cheerfully, hoping to mooch a treat from the cadet.

"Put me down," Sam murmured, leaning into him lazily. Despite her words, she loved being held by him – even if it had taken being kicked out of the kitchen in such an undignified fashion to be put into his arms.

"You heard Ian," Jack told her as he carried her into the living room and sat down – with her still in his arms. "I'm _supposed_ to keep you occupied."

Since that could be taken in more than way one, Sam felt a slight shiver go through her – one she suppressed. They did have company, after all, and it wasn't like she was starved for his attentions. She cuddled against him, though, sliding her hand along his arm.

"I thought you were going to bed?"

"I am. But this is more important."

God, she loved it when he was mushy.

"You could start me a bath."

"I could." He leaned closer and whispered, "If we didn't have company, I'd join you in that bath."

She shivered again, both at the picture that brought to mind and because his breath tickled her ear. She turned her head and kissed him lightly, then moved out of his lap to sit beside him.

"Go to bed, Jack. I won't be far behind you."

"Do you really want a bath?"

She nodded.

"I can do it, though."

"I don't-"

They were interrupted by a crash from the kitchen and a curse that Ian didn't manage to bite back in time.

"Fucking Sonofabitch..."

"Are you okay?" Sam called, smiling, because no matter what he'd broken it was definitely not so bad that it rated a curse like that.

"Fine," Came the reply, and Sam's smile grew when she heard the chagrin in his voice – probably he realized what he'd said. "A glass slipped out of my hand. I'll replace it."

"Don't worry about it." Jack called.

"Don't cut yourself on it," Sam called.

"Call Jaffer, will ya?"

"Jaffer!"

The black lab came tearing out of the kitchen, his eyes cheerful and his head just a little soapy – from where Ian had pushed him away from the broken glass that he'd immediately had to investigate.

"You need help?" Sam called to Ian, smiling over at Jack, who was checking Jaffer for any sign that the glass had cut his paws.

"Nope. I'm good. Carry on with..." Whatever else he was saying was muffled as he started cleaning up the glass, and Sam stretched, slipping her bare feet along Jaffer's soft furry side.

"I'm going to go get a bath."

"I'm going to bed – as soon as I make sure he doesn't need anything."

"I'll be there in a bit."

Jack's smile was naughty, and Sam moved her foot from Jaffer's side to nudge Jack's ribs.

"Make sure he has enough blankets – it'll probably get cold tonight."

"Yes, dear."

She rolled her eyes in amusement and got up and headed for the bathroom, and Jack told Jaffer to stay where he was and headed for the kitchen, where Ian was just tossing the broken pieces of the glass into the garbage.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. Soapy hands."

Jack nodded.

"I'm going to bed and Sam's going to soak in the tub for a while. Will you be able to entertain yourself for the rest of the night?"

"I'll be fine."

"If it gets cold, there are extra blankets in the hall closet."

"Thanks."

Jack looked around, but there weren't all that many dishes to begin with, and Ian had most of them done.

"You don't need anything?"

"Go to bed, Colonel, or I'll pick you up and carry you out of the kitchen, too."

He was tempted – oh was he tempted! – to tell him to give it his best shot, but Jack knew that if he threw down that gauntlet, Ian would. And then they'd probably end up wrestling or something and he'd never get to bed.

"Okay, okay." He left and headed down the hall. Jaffer watched him go from his position on the couch, but the black lab wasn't ready for bed just yet. He'd wait for Sam.


	25. 25

By the time Ian finished the dishes – which wasn't all that long – Sam had vanished into the bathroom, leaving the house quiet and dark – with only the light from the fire and the kitchen to illuminate it. He left the dishes to drip dry in the dish drainer thing – he never dried dishes and wasn't about to start now, unless Sam came out and told him to, which he was pretty sure wasn't going to happen – and turned off the kitchen light, walking into the living room and picking up the remote control and turning on the TV – immediately to ESPN.

With the light of the TV and the fire to see by, he went over to the Wall – which he'd seen earlier, but hadn't stopped to look at during the busy day. The Wall was a pretty cool idea, he thought, looking at all the pictures of Jaffer – puppy pictures, adolescent pictures and a ton of pictures with him full grown. Not so many of Sam and even fewer of Jack and Shawn, but since the Wall was obviously Jack's shrine to Jaffer it only made sense that there would be more of the dog than of people.

The cadet reached out and took down the smallest of the collars that were hanging on the pegs; a blue thing that looked about the right size for a cat – certainly not for a dog the size of Jaffer. Of course, the earliest pictures on the Wall showed a very fuzzy smaller version of Jaffer wearing this exact collar, so there was no denying it had once fit him. Ian felt a slight pang of homesickness as he wished that Bubba was with him just then.

He pushed it down, though, and smiled when he saw the chewed up leash – Bubba had chewed up his first leash as well. And his second, and his third... and the interior of his mother's car, and the edge of his waterbed back home, and the garbage can, and the... well, the list went on and on, and Ian was pretty sure Jack probably had a similar list.

He looked over at Jaffer, who was lounging on the couch, watching him and put the tiny collar back up on the peg that held it.

"I'll bet you were a terror when you were a puppy..."

There was a thumping sound as Jaffer's tail hit the sofa cushions every time he wagged it, and the brown eyes managed to look cheerful and innocent at the same time, gleaming happily in the light of the fire.

Ian snorted in good humor, and walked over and leaned over the back of the couch, both hands coming down to scratch Jaffer's jet-black hide.

"Do you need out before I sit down?"

Jaffer wagged his tail harder, and rolled over so Ian could scratch his belly.

"Sure, _pretend_ you don't want out... then, the minute I get comfortable, you'll be all over me begging to get out." He wasn't stupid – he knew what Bubba would have done. Labs were the same, deep down. Ian rubbed Jaffer's side, and if anyone would have been there in that room with him just then they would have seen an expression in his dark eyes that very few had ever seen – and no one in Colorado, that was for sure. It was soft, and loving in a way that he couldn't share with people, and never had been able to, and it only lasted an instant before he slapped Jaffer's shoulder affectionately and then headed for the sliding glass door.

"Come on, dog. I know you need out."

Jaffer scrambled off the couch and headed for the door, too, wagging his tail eagerly. He needed out, _yup_! Ian couldn't get the door open fast enough for the lab, who bolted for the deck as soon as there was enough room to squeeze through, and Ian followed him out, closing the door behind him to keep the cold from getting into the house.

It was still snowing, and way too cold for him to be out standing on the deck with only sweats and a t-shirt on. Again, though, he was too lazy to go back inside and grab his jacket or shoes. Besides, he wasn't going to be out there for too long. It was too cold for Jaffer to want to hang out outside, either. He leaned against the rail of the fence that surrounded the deck, playing with the snow that was accumulating there, tried to watch Jaffer, who vanished into the darkness of the furthest part of the backyard, and ignored the snowflakes that were gently falling into his hair and onto the back of his neck.

By the time Jaffer was done, Ian was pretty certain he was going to turn into a giant Popsicle and was beginning to rethink the whole _too lazy to go back inside and get a coat and shoes_ thing. About the time he was losing all feeling in his toes, Jaffer came trotting back into sight, and headed for the steps that led to the deck.

"Done?" Ian asked, sarcastically. "We could stay out a while longer – I still have use of my fingers..."

Jaffer ignored him and went to the door, and Ian gratefully let the two of them back in, the warmth of the house not really enough to overcome the shivering. He closed the sliding glass door, and then headed for the hall closet and the blankets that Jack had told him were stashed there. There was a string hanging down from the ceiling of the closet and Ian pulled it, assuming correctly that it was a light switch. The light came on, revealing a stack of blankets and extra towels, as well as some odds and ends and a vacuum cleaner.

The cadet reached for one of the blankets, when something else caught his attention, and his hand moved for that instead, pulling down a well-oiled and well-worn holster, complete with a handgun. Curious as to what kind it was, Ian pulled the gun out of the holster, and saw it was a Beretta – much like the one that Ian had seen Jack holding only a couple of days before in Kinsey's safehouse. He checked the load of the weapon, pulling the clip out a little ways, and found it was loaded.

Ah well, it wasn't like there were any kids in the O'Neill house – and the gun was up out of reach. Probably, it wasn't a bad idea for Jack to have one so handy, Ian decided. You never knew when someone might break in or something. Of course, with Jaffer in the house, they probably didn't have to deal with too many people causing trouble like that. He smiled and put the gun back where he'd found it, then pulled down a thick, dark blue blanket and turned off the closet light and headed for the couch.

"Move over you cow..." He told Jaffer, who was now sprawled on the sofa in such a manner that he was actually taking up far more space than he actually needed. The black lab looked up at him as he approached, and decided that yeah, he could probably share the couch – at least a little of it. Ian flopped down, tucking his frozen feet up under Jaffer's rather chilled body, figuring the lab would warm up faster than he would and he might as well use that to his advantage. Then he threw the blanket over Jaffer and himself, and picked up the remote again, turning up the TV until it was loud enough he could hear the Sportcenter announcers and still soft enough that he wouldn't bother anyone else in the house.

Before he'd even properly warmed up, and Jaffer's hide was sufficiently cozy, Ian had dozed off, his head leaned against the back of the sofa, and his feet still tucked under Jaffer's belly. And that was how Sam found him when she finally dragged herself out of the bathtub.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"Ian?"

He opened his eyes, and found a pair of amused blue eyes only a foot or so away from his face, framed by Sam's pretty face.

"Hmm?"

She smiled as he blinked, sleepily.

"You're welcomed to sleep on the couch if you want to, but the bed is probably more comfortable..." Besides, she knew they'd be having company arriving early, and she wanted him to be able to sleep in if he wanted to. Something he couldn't do if he was on the sofa.

"What?"

She couldn't resist reaching out and touching his face – he was so cute sleepy; just like Jack and Shawn both were.

"Go to bed..." She told him slowly.

This time she got the message through, because his dark eyes seemed to focus just enough to actually see that she was really there, and he raised his head, looking around and rubbing his face. Jaffer was already sliding out from under the blanket – more than ready to continue his own nap in bed with Sam and Jack.

"Yes, Ma'am..."

He staggered to his feet and headed for the hall, and Sam walked next to him, just to make sure he found his room without complication – he wasn't completely awake, after all. Once she'd made sure he was headed for the right room, she and Jaffer turned off at her room, and left him alone.

Ian went into 'his' room, pulled off his shirt and slid into bed. The sheets were cold and he was warm, but it wasn't enough to wake him completely. He shivered just a little, but he was asleep again in only a matter of minutes.


	26. 26

"_Run, Shawn!"_

_They were being chased... unseen and deadly, the pursuers had already taken out River and were after them, now. After Shawn, Ian was sure, but more than willing to take down anyone who got in their way. And he was determined to get Shawn and himself out of the way – only they couldn't escape, because they couldn't see who was chasing them. All they could do was run..._

In his sleep Ian whimpered softly, knowing how the nightmare was going to end, since it ended the same way every time he had it. Almost every night the invisible assassins came after him and his roommates, and every time Jack and Jaffer didn't make it to them in time and the nightmare would end in a flash of bright light and a stunning pain that Ian remembered quite clearly from the actual attack that night, and since he remembered it, his subconscious always threw it into the nightmare, forcing him to relive it over and over, until he'd wake up gasping, eyes wide as he looked around for those killers – even though he knew – absofuckinglutely _knew_ – they were dead and gone.

He tore himself out of the nightmare by sheer will alone, sitting up with a strangled cry and looking around the unfamiliar room, his breath coming in panting gasps and his entire body soaked with sweat.

Nightmares were something Ian had never had to deal with before. The cadet had gone through his entire life without fearing anything so much that he'd relive it in his dreams. Not bullies, not the dark – hell, he never even feared monsters under his bed or in his closets when he'd been tiny. He'd always stood up to the things that tried to frighten him, and always had beaten them back or simply bluffed them down until they'd go away. It was different, now, though.

How did you stand up to a foe you couldn't see? How could you bluff someone when you could read their expressions to see how they were reacting? Something that shot first and didn't care about asking questions later... The answer was that you couldn't, and that was why Ian had nightmares. He couldn't face a fear he couldn't see, and he couldn't figure out a way to fight it down. His agile mind – which was usually such an asset to him – had absolutely no trouble imagining all the terrible ways these assassins might have killed him and Shawn, and at night, he'd find himself living through all of them eventually.

Still shaking with the aftermath of the nightmare, Ian stumbled out of his bed and into the hall, hoping he hadn't cried out in his sleep and disturbed everyone else in the house. God, that was all he needed; for word to get out that he couldn't get through the night without having nightmares. He'd be laughed right out of the academy, he was sure. Nightmares were for kids – not adults.

Apparently, though, he hadn't woken anyone. The house was still and dark, and after a moment of standing in the empty hall waiting to see if anyone roused, Ian headed for the kitchen. He could definitely use something to drink. A glass of cold water did nothing to stop his trembling – although it eased the dryness of his mouth left in the wake of that cold terror – and Ian stood in the dark kitchen for a long time, leaning against the sink and looking out the dark window at the backyard – eerily illuminated by a distant streetlight shining off the snow that was still falling.

Something nudged his thigh, and Ian barely managed to bite back a shriek of terror before he realized that Jaffer had snuck up on him and was standing beside him – probably hoping for a midnight snack.

"You just about gave me a heart attack," he told the lab, shakily, reaching down and rubbing his head softly. He went over to the drawer that Jack had pointed out to him earlier, and pulled out a bag of dog treats, handing Jaffer a handful of them. The lab ate them, and Ian tried to control his heartbeat once more as he watched. Jaffer finished what he had and turned his nose up when Ian offered him a few more – apparently the big lab wasn't in the mood for a heavy snack.

"Do you need out?" he whispered, heading for the sliding glass door. Jaffer didn't follow him, though, and Ian didn't press. He didn't want to open the door anyways; he was already freezing, even though the house wasn't all that chilly. He went over to the couch, gathering up the blanket he'd discarded earlier that evening, and wrapped it around himself as he sat down on the sofa. Jaffer hopped up beside him, cuddling close – which surprised Ian, although he appreciated it. He definitely didn't mind a little cuddling just then.

He rested his head on Jaffer's, his hands running absently along the soft fur while Jaffer's warm body finally managed to warm Ian as well. Between the dog and the blanket, he eventually managed to shake off the chill that had been with him since he woke – although it took him a lot longer to relax. He sighed, and closed his eyes, wishing for something, but not even sure what.

"Fucking baby..." he whispered, mockingly, to himself.

Jaffer whined softly, snuffling his cheek, and Ian reacted to that by hugging the lab even closer, glad for the company. He eventually fell asleep that way, there on the couch with the lab sprawled across him, keeping him warm – and more importantly, keeping him safe.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Jack..."

"Hmmm?"

"Wake up."

He opened his eyes, obediently, and looked into Sam's blue ones. The sun was just starting to come through the window, so he knew that it was morning, but he also knew it was early. Too early to be awake?

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. You need to come see this, though."

He reached up and ran his hand along her side – from the looks of how she was dressed and how rumpled she looked, she'd only just woken up herself.

"See what?"

"Come look."

She leaned over and kissed him, then stood up, watching him.

Mumbling to himself, Jack got out of bed and followed Sam to the bedroom door, wearing just his sweats. They walked down the hall and into the living room, and Sam pointed to the couch – where Ian was still sleeping, cuddled up with his arms wrapped around Jaffer, who was also asleep.

"Huh... have they been like that all night?"

She shook her head.

"I sent him to bed about eleven. Think you can carry him back to his room?"

"I think he'd be mortified if he found out I did," Jack told her, smiling. "Just let him sleep there – if he wakes up still tired he can go back to bed."

She nodded, and the two of them headed into the kitchen. They needed some coffee. And maybe some breakfast.


	27. 27

Sam gave the sleeping form on the couch a worried look as she and Jack sat down to breakfast. Ian was still asleep – which wasn't all that big a surprise maybe, if he'd stayed up late. The thing that worried her was the fact that Jaffer was still cuddled up close to the cadet – even though the lab had woken an hour before.

Jaffer hadn't responded to Jack asking him if he wanted out, and he hadn't responded to breakfast. Both of which were usually high priority items with the lab as far as Sam knew. He simply had remained still, Ian's arms wrapped loosely around him in his sleep with the cadet's cheek resting against his own.

"What's wrong, Sam?" Jack asked softly, in deference to Ian still being asleep.

"Isn't it odd that Jaffer won't leave him?"

Jack shrugged.

"He's like that with _you_ when you're asleep, too. Won't leave you until you wake up – probably because he doesn't want to disturb you. It's probably the same with Ian."

"Maybe he's hurt?"

"Jaffer?" Jack was fairly positive Jaffer was fine. He'd looked fine to Jack – his tail had wagged cheerfully enough in greeting when he'd woken up, and his eyes were bright and happy.

"Ian."

Jack shrugged, looking over at the couch – although he couldn't see either of them from this angle. The back of the couch was in the way.

"He looks okay... I didn't see any blood." He looked over at Sam. "You want me to wake him up?"

She hesitated, but shook her head.

"Nah. If he's tired, he needs to sleep."

Jack handed her a plate of eggs and toast – one of his few specialties.

"He'll probably get woken up when the others start arriving." There was no way Jaffer would hold still for too long once the house started filling up, and Jaffer moving would probably wake the boy up.

Sam nodded, and she finally sat down, resisting the urge to go over and check him for a fever or something. Jack was right; he was probably just tired. Who knew what time he'd stayed up until – probably watching TV.

OOOOOOOO

When the first light knock at the door came less than half an hour later, Jack was proven right – although Jaffer was a lot gentler about waking Ian up than he was when waking Jack. The lab whuffled the cadet's cheek, slobbering a bit, but mainly licking his face until Ian couldn't help but wake up or drown.

As Sam went to the door to answer it, she smiled when she saw Ian open his eyes while at the same time pulling his head back and pushing Jaffer's head back just enough that he couldn't get at him with that long tongue. The cadet looked around owlishly, and Jaffer took that as awake enough and hopped down off the couch, trotting over to the door with Sam to welcome their guests.

Who turned out to be Janet and Cassandra Fraiser.

"Hi again," Janet said, handing a bottle of wine to Sam as she came through the door. Cassandra smiled a greeting at Sam as well, walking through the door carrying a couple of bags of groceries.

"Hi, Sam." She greeted Sam, but her eyes instantly went to the couch where it was obvious Ian was just waking up. The cadet was stretching – and as far as Cassie could tell, he was mostly naked. At least he wasn't wearing a shirt, because his blanket had fallen around his waist when he'd sat up, revealing just as impressive a body as Cassie could have hoped for.

"Good morning, you two," Sam said, smiling.

"18 inches of snow last night," Janet said, shaking her head. "Can you believe that?"

"Of course I can," Sam said, shutting the door behind them after a quick look outside. Since Jaffer hadn't wanted out, neither she nor Jack had even bothered to go look, but it was deep, and looked beautiful.

"Good morning, Ian," Cassie said, coming to a stop by the couch and smiling, because he looked soooo hot half-asleep. Besides, she could take a minute and really enjoy Ian watching while he wasn't quite awake enough to realize what she was doing.

Ian looked up at her, and stifled a yawn as he nodded a greeting, then looked around. Jack was in the kitchen, Sam was coming over from the door, followed by Jaffer and following Janet Fraiser, who also smiled a greeting – although her look was far less possessive than Cassie's.

"Good morning, Ian," Janet told him. Wow. Janet was used to seeing mostly naked young men – and old men – and even she was forced to admit he was just as good looking half-naked as he was dressed. "Just woke up?"

He nodded, rubbing his face sleepily. He wasn't used to sleeping in, and definitely wasn't used to having a gaggle of females around him when he woke up – Shawn and River were the biggest audience he'd ever had.

"Better get dressed, Ian," Sam said – much to Cassie's disappointment. The Major came over and rested her hand lightly on his shoulder in what was a friendly touch – but was also her way of checking to see if he was overly warm – which might indicate a fever or some other reason that he'd slept so soundly. He felt okay – warm but not really hot – although his eyes were particularly bleak when he looked up at her.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Janet nudged Cassie, who scowled, but headed into the kitchen to greet Jack and hand over her bags of groceries to him, and the two women heard Jack giving her an enthusiastic good morning, and asking if she'd had breakfast.

"Are you all right, Ian?" Sam asked, frowning down at him slightly. Now that Cassie was gone, she was hoping that if he weren't feeling well, he'd be more willing to admit it.

Janet caught the concern in Sam's question, and she switched from friend visiting friends to doctor, looking down at Ian intently, her hand brushing his forehead without so much as a by _your leave_. He was warm, but not hot, and he wasn't flushed beyond what you'd expect from someone who'd just woken up.

He moved his head slightly – although Fraiser's cold hand actually felt kind of good against his face – and gave both of them a forced smile.

"Fine. Just tired."

"You can go back to bed..." Sam told him, pretty sure he wasn't telling the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Ian shook his head – like he _wanted_ to go back to sleep?

"I'm up. I'll go get dressed."

He stood up and untangled himself from the blanket he was wrapped in, and Sam reached out and took it from him when he started trying to fold it.

"I'll take care of it," she told him, smiling. No man could fold a blanket or a towel, as far as Sam was concerned. And Heaven forbid they get near a fitted sheet!

"Thanks."

He turned and headed for the bathroom, and as soon as the door closed Janet looked at Sam.

"Is he sick?"

"I guess not... he was just sleeping so soundly... I guess it had me worried."

"He's probably catching up on all the sleep he's been missing from getting up so early at the academy," Janet said, smiling. "If I were him, I'd be sleeping all day."

The two of them headed for the kitchen.


	28. 28

When Ian returned from the bathroom and then his bedroom, he was dressed in jeans and another plain white t-shirt, socks and shoes and looked far more awake than he had when he'd vanished. Sam smiled when he arrived in the kitchen, and she was glad to see the smile he gave her in return was a bit less forced than earlier ones had been.

"Hungry?"

He nodded, and absently opened a jar of olives for Janet, who handed it to him the moment he came close enough to.

"You can have breakfast when you're done helping me shovel the driveway and the sidewalk," Jack told him, coming through the sliding glass door of the kitchen just then, Jaffer rushing in as well, and both of them looking cold but cheerful.

"Sam said I'm not the slave," Ian told him, easily reaching over Janet's head for a glass from the cupboard. "I'm the _guest_. The _guest_ doesn't have to work for his meals."

Cassie smiled, and handed Ian a gallon of milk from the fridge since he couldn't get to it with the kitchen so full of people.

"_I'll_ help you, Jack," she offered.

"Did you bring a shovel?"

She shook her head.

"We only have two. So you stay in here and be warm and keep Sam and Doc here from burning down my kitchen, and Ian and I'll do the walk – until he wears out and _then_ you can come help and he can watch Sam."

"I never wear out," Ian said, taking a couple slices of toast from Sam, who was watching them with a smile. "That's because I'm young and fit. Not like some old guys I know..."

Cassie grinned.

"Sam..."

"Jack?"

"Make Ian come help me..."

"Ian? Would you help Jack shovel-"

"Sure, Sam, I'd love to."

Sam gave Jack a gloating look, then turned her attention to the cadet.

"You'll need more on than just that, though. Did you think to bring boots?"

Ian shook his head.

"I have an extra pair," Jack told him, making sure he didn't think he was going to get out of shoveling that easily.

"I don't have any gloves, either." Ian said.

"I have extra of those, too."

Bah.

"Don't break the shovels," Sam warned them as Ian downed his glass of milk quickly and scarfed his toast. "I –"

"We're not going to _break_ them," Jack told her, giving her a look that plainly said he thought she was crazy for even suggesting such a thing was possible. "Right, Ian?"

"Of course we won't," he agreed, moving out of the kitchen and out of the way of Sam and Cassie, who were starting to put together a pumpkin pie.

Cassie didn't mind at all that he brushed against her as he did so, but Ian didn't even seem to notice.

"Your sweatshirt is in the dryer, Ian," Sam told him. He wouldn't want to wear his leather jacket shoveling snow – and he'd probably get warmed by the exercise that he wouldn't want anything heavier than the sweatshirt, anyways.

"Thanks, Sam."

Ian headed for the laundry room.

"I'll meet you outside," Jack told him, getting out of the kitchen as well and pulling spare boots and gloves out of the closet – Ian was close to his size and boots like the ones he pulled out were pretty much one size fits all, anyways.

"I'll be right there." Ian promised him.

OOOOOOOO

He bundled up quickly – despite his claim that he didn't want to work; Ian had no intention of slacking when it came to helping. Besides, he was used to shoveling snow, and he didn't mind it. It was good exercise.

"Don't let him make you do all the work," Sam told him as he opened the door and headed out. Ian nodded, and waved, and was promptly struck by a snowball that came sailing out from behind Jack's truck.

"Ha!" Jack stuck his head out from behind the hood of the truck. "What are you going to do about that? Huh?"

It wasn't like there wasn't a lot of snow to choose from. Ian bent down and scooped up a handful, and lobbed it at Jack, arcing it since the Colonel was hiding behind his truck still. Jack watched it coming and dodged it easily – although he hadn't noticed that Ian had picked up enough snow for two snowballs and had already sent the next one on it's way.

"You misse-"He was cut off when the second one hit him in the ear, and Ian grinned.

"Too slow, old man..."

Jack scooped up another handful of snow off the hood of his truck, and advanced on Ian, who jumped off the front step and went to look for some cover.

OOOOOOOOO

"What are you doing?"

The two of them had been so involved in their battle that neither of them had heard the car approach and hadn't heard the slamming doors. Jack was covered in snow from his head to his feet and had it crammed into his ears – which might have been why he didn't hear the next set of guests arriving. Ian looked up as well from where he'd been once more effectively pinned by Jack – although in the snow he was able to wiggle out from under him several times and repeat his own attacks. The cadet was just as covered in snow, and the front yard – which had looked so beautiful and pristine when they'd come out – was now a trampled mess where the two of them had been rolling in the snow, wrestling and trying to gain the upper hand while Jaffer jumped on them and around them, snapping playfully when he could and generally making it harder for both of them to get a telling victory.

"Hey, Daniel," Jack said, seeing Teal'c come up behind the archeologist as well. "We're shoveling the driveway."

Daniel looked over at the driveway – which hadn't been touched – and the two shovels leaning unused against the fence.

"Um... yeah."

"Hi, Sally," Jack said, smiling at the woman who walked up to stand next to Daniel, looking down at Jack with amusement. "Have you met Ian?" He gestured at the cadet, who was spitting a mouthful of snow out. "This is Ian – one of Shawn's roommates at the academy. Ian, this is Sally. She's Daniel's girlfriend – although I still can't imagine why."

"It's nice to meet you, Ian," Sally said, wondering what exactly he looked like under all that snow. All she was pretty sure of was that he had dark hair.

"Nice to meet you, too." Ian said, taking advantage of Jack's distraction and grabbing a handful of snow, which he promptly shoved down the back of the Colonel's coat – catching the shirt as well, which he'd hoped to do.

"Arrgh! The treachery of the young!" Jack dragged himself off Ian and started untucking his shirt. "Sam's inside with Janet and Cassie."

"We'll go say hi," Daniel said.

"Nah, you guys can help me and Ian shovel the driveway..."

"We'd hate to distract you..." Daniel said, sarcastically, hugging Sally for a moment before sending her into the house to warm up. "Besides, it looks like you're almost... getting ready to get started. How long have you been working on it?"

Jack looked at his watch, pulling his glove out of the way.

"About 45 minutes."


	29. 29

"Where's Jack, Teal'c?" Jack asked the Jaffa, still pinning Ian down. Before the Jaffa could answer a streak of blonde came rushing over chased by Jaffer, and bowled into the Colonel, knocking him off Ian and into the snow beside the cadet. Ian rolled over and sprang to his feet while he had the chance, then started kicking snow onto Jack (o'neill, not the dog) before he could regain his feet.

"Hey!"

Jaffer jumped out of the way of the shower of snow, and Jack followed his brother, leaving O'Neill to take the brunt of Ian's assault. Unable to help himself, Daniel jumped into the fray, kicking snow on Jack, too, knowing he'd pay for it later, but figuring what the heck – it'd be worth it.

"Teal'c! Help!"

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Hey everyone," Sally called, walking into the door as she heard the beginnings of some serious scuffling coming from behind her.

Sam, Cassie and Janet all poked their heads out from the kitchen at the call, and smiled.

"Hey, Sally. Where's Daniel?"

"Outside with Jack and that poor Ian guy."

"Uh oh." Sam smiled. "What's Jack doing to him, now?"

"He's got him pinned in the snow."

Cassie decided she'd had enough of the warm kitchen for a while and was ready for some fun. She grabbed up her jacket.

"I think I'll go help him."

Sam and the others followed, but when they opened the door they saw it wasn't just Ian who was in trouble.

Teal'c had jumped into the fray as well, joining Jack's side – since he was the one who was outnumbered. The Jaffa wasn't all _that_ great at playing, but the longer he spent with Jack and the rest of the humans, the better he was getting at it, and his sense of humor was becoming more and more refined as well. More importantly, the time he was spending with Andrew Stephens was teaching him how much a human child and adolescent could take without being injured, and he was now able to gauge just how much force to use when playing – which was a lot different from actually battling someone. And this time Ian was his target.

Again the cadet found himself pinned – although this time he didn't have a chance. Teal'c was stronger than him, massively outweighed him and was far more solid than Jack. Knowing that the snow wouldn't hurt the young man – it hadn't hurt O'Neill, after all – Teal'c was holding Ian down with one hand and was stuffing snow down his shirt with the other.

Jack had Daniel pinned in the same fashion and was giving him a similar white-washing – even though Daniel was struggling mightily.

Cassie dove into the snow fight with typical youthful exuberance, jumping on Teal'c's back and grabbing him around his muscular neck with a battle cry that told the Jaffa who was attacking him. Abandoning the boy, he caught Cassie's attack, allowing her weight to pull him off Ian and letting her pin him to the snow beside Daniel.

"Run, Ian!" Cassie called, giggling as Teal'c held her arms firmly enough to keep her from giving him a similar treatment with the snow. Playing was one thing, allowing himself to be white-washed was completely another.

Ian didn't run, though – and from where they stood in the doorway, Sam wasn't surprised. He jumped on Teal'c, recognizing that the big man was more than able to take anything Ian could throw at him without taking injury. While Teal'c was occupied with Cassandra he was unable to completely defend himself from the snow that Ian started scooping at him, and soon the Jaffa was as snow-covered as Daniel and Jack were.

It didn't last long, though. Teal'c rolled out from under Cassie, and pulled Ian down with one hand and Cassandra down with the other, pinning them both neatly.

"Jack!"

The blonde lab came rushing over at Teal'c's call, whuffling them happily, and Teal'c' simply held them down and let Jack have his way with them – and he was just as lethal with his tongue as Jaffer was.

"Sam!" Ian sputtered, trying to wriggle out of the Jaffa's grip and failing. "Help! _Sam_!"

She knew better. Sam knew the minute she stepped off the porch she was fair game, and she wasn't wearing a coat, and wasn't wearing shoes, and Jack was just waiting to get her into a snow bank of her own. She was glad to see that Ian seemed to have lost whatever bleak mood he'd woken up in, though. Even though her driveway still wasn't shoveled.

"You're on your own, Mister," she called, laughing.

"_Mom_!" Cassie was just as willing to call for help as Ian – although she was thoroughly enjoying herself.

"Better go save them, Janet," Sam said, smiling.

"Are you nuts?" Janet knew that Jack had already subdued Daniel and was just waiting for another target – although he was pretending to be occupied with the archeologist.

"Sally?"

"Uh uh."

"Ah well... I have a pie to finish..."

She and the other women went back into the house, closing the door firmly behind them, leaving the young people to their fate, and Daniel to Jack.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

"Do you yield?" Teal'c asked, finally.

They didn't have a choice, and even Ian's stubborn pride had to admit that there was no way he was going to get free. He nodded, and Teal'c relinquished his hold on both Ian and Cassie, who had nodded as well. She was cold and wet, and was ready to go warm up.

They all staggered to their feet, and Jack rolled off Daniel, who looked like a prone snowman, and pulled him to his feet.

"Well, I was _hoping_ for a chance to get cold and wet before breakfast," Daniel said as he tried to brush the snow off his jacket. Of course, his coat was stuffed with snow as well, so it wasn't much help.

"You came to the right place," Jack told him, handing him his glasses.

Cassie giggled, and looked over at Ian, who was as snowy as Daniel was.

"You should go get dried off," she told him.

Ian shrugged.

"I'll finish the driveway, first." He gave her a smile – a real one that reached his eyes and made Cassie all warm inside. "Thanks for coming to my rescue."

She blushed, and was glad that no one could tell with her face already cold from the snow.

"It looked like you needed the help," she said.

"We'd better get started on that driveway," Jack said, sighing. It was one thing to be cold and wet from goofing off; it was another to have to shovel snow.

"Go ahead and go inside, Jack," Ian said. "I can do the driveway."

"Do you have extra shovels, Jack?" Daniel asked. If they all did it, then they'd be done quicker, and people were going to be arriving soon – since the road crews were already out doing a great job of plowing the roads so people could get around in the deep snow.

"Nah, just the two. Go inside you guys, Ian and I'll be there in a bit."


	30. 30

Sam looked up from the couch when the door opened, admitting Teal'c, Daniel and Cassie. All three of them were covered in snow and were soaked, but they also looked as if they'd been having the time of their life.

"Stay there," Sam said before they could get even close to walking on her carpet.

All three froze, although Daniel did manage to close the door behind him.

"Hang your coats up and take your shoes off," Sam ordered them.

They did as they were told, and they even went one further by brushing all the snow off their pants before moving onto the carpet and into the living room.

"What are you watching?" Cassie asked, noticing immediately that they were all on the sofa watching TV and sipping coffee.

"The Thanksgiving day parade," Janet answered, reaching out and brushing a clump of snow from her daughter's hair when Cassie came over to sit by her. She wouldn't have many more chances to do something like that, she knew. "Where are Jack and Ian?"

"They're going to start – I mean _finish – _thedriveway." Daniel told her, flopping down on the floor by Sally's feet so he could lean back against her legs.

Sam smiled. Which meant they'd probably be outside another five hours at this rate. She'd noticed when she'd gone out with Sally and Janet that they hadn't made any progress on their shoveling. Ah well, they were both smart enough to come in if they got cold. Well... _no_, they probably weren't, so she'd check on them in a bit. After the next commercial, or when she pulled the pumpkin pies out of the oven, maybe.

OOOOOOOO

"You know, we'd probably get this done a lot faster if you actually tossed your snow to the side of the driveway," Ian said about half an hour later. He had just had a shovelful of snow land on him – for the _fourth_ time – and was brushing it off, scowling over at Jack, who gave him an innocent look.

"The shovel slipped."

"My ass..."

"What? It _did_..."

"Uh huh."

Ian scooped up a shovelful of snow and tossed it over at Jack, who had turned back to his own side of the driveway. The heavy snow landed perfectly, splattering the Colonel in the back of the head.

Jack looked over, a scowl of his own.

"Oops."

Ian's look wasn't so innocent, and Jack didn't buy it for a minute.

"You're _pushing_ it, Bucko." He warned.

And again, Ian couldn't help but rise to the challenge that gleamed in Jack's brown eyes. He deliberately scooped up another shovelful of snow, and tossed it at O'Neill; throwing down a gauntlet of his own.

OOOOOOOO

The door opened without warning, and Jaffer and Jack came bolting in, both covered in snow and cheerful as could be. Following closely behind them were Jack and Ian, and Sam knew in a glance that something was wrong with Ian. Jack was just too close to him, his expression tight with concern, and Ian had his hand clapped against the side of his head, a look of pain on his face. Sam was on her feet in an instant.

"What happened?"

"Jack accidentally threw his shovel at me..."

Sam looked at Jack as Janet moved off the couch and came over to the door as well.

"I didn't do it on purpose," Jack told Sam, reaching up and moving Ian's hand so they could see the injury. "The shovel slipped out of my hand and hit him."

Sam didn't doubt that for a minute. There was no way Jack would have intentionally hurt Ian.

"Let me see, Ian," Janet told him, gentle fingers parting the short dark hair as she tried to see the gash that was producing the blood that was caking the cadet's hair. Ian hissed with pain when she found the cut the hard way, but he did manage to bite back the curse that was right on the tip of his tongue.

"Is he all right?" Jack asked.

"I'm fine," Ian said, trying to pull his head away from Janet and Jack both. Neither would let him go, though, and Janet frowned.

"Hold still."

"Bring him into the dining room, Janet," Sam said. "Then you can get a better look at-"

"I'm _fine_," Ian said, again. He didn't like being the center of so much attention. "It's just a scratch."

"Let me be the judge of that," Janet told him, taking the sleeve of Ian's sweatshirt and pulling him into the house, through the living room and to the dining room where she pushed him down into a chair. Jack and Sam crowded close, with Cassie, Daniel and the others watching as well from just a step back.

Ian's hair was drenched, but it was mostly water from melted snow, and he was shivering, but that was just from cold – and he _was_ cold. Sam was standing next to Jack and she could feel him shivering, too. So much for them being smart enough to come in and get warm when they needed to. She didn't tell him to get something warm to drink, though, because she knew he had no intention of moving until he knew that Ian was going to be all right.

"Well...?" Jack asked a second later, confirming what Sam had been thinking.

"I'm _looking_, Colonel, hush."

"How come _she_ gets to call you Colonel?" Ian asked, looking up at Jack.

"Hold still," Janet told him – again.

"Because she has big needles." Sam said.

"That's not –" He yelped when Janet touched a particularly painful spot, and Janet winced in shared pain.

"That's going to need stitches," she decided.

"No, it doesn't," Ian said, scowling. "It's nothing big. Just put a Bandai-"

"Don't argue with me," Janet said. She looked over at Jack. "Feel like a drive to the hospital?"

Jack nodded.

"I'll get my keys."

"It's _fine_," Ian said, again, moving his head from her hand, scowling thunderously. "I don't need-"

"Colonel."

"Ian."

"I'm _fine_. Really."

"Do what she says, okay?" Jack told him. "She _is_ a doctor, after all, and I don't want to see brains leaking out of a hole in your head that _I_ made..."

Ian's scowl didn't fade, but when Sam knelt down next to him, her own blue eyes just as concerned as Jack's brown ones, he sighed, because he knew what she was going to say, and he knew he wouldn't be able to tell her no.

"Go get it looked at, Ian? Please?"

The scowl faded, turning into a look of resignation, and he nodded. It wouldn't hurt to have it looked at, he supposed.

"Fine..."


	31. 31

It was nearly an hour and a half later when Jaffer gave Sam warning that Jack was home. They'd all been gathered in the living room watching the last of the parade and chatting about how good the house smelled what with all the baking, and the turkey starting to cook when Jaffer headed for the door, his tail wagging furiously.

"What's with him?" Daniel asked Sam.

"Jack's home," Sam said, getting off the couch and heading for the door as well.

Before she reached it, the door opened, and Jack, Janet and Ian walked in. Jack was swamped by Jaffer's greeting, but Janet and Ian managed to get past the two and Sam noticed immediately that Janet looked annoyed – and Ian looked a little glassy-eyed.

"How is he?" Sam asked Janet, knowing that Ian probably wasn't up to answering – besides, this way she could find out what was annoying the doctor.

"Fourteen stitches," Jack said, slapping Jaffer's side a final time and sending the lab back into the living room with a gesture.

"Wow." She looked at Janet. "What's wrong with you?"

"Apparently all the competent doctors at Mercy General are off today." Fraiser said, taking Ian's arm and pulling the cadet into the living room and pushing him down onto the couch beside Sally, who saw a perfect line of stitches almost hidden by the dark hair.

"They look pretty straight," she commented.

"_Janet_ put them in," Jack said, smiling slightly at Fraiser's annoyance. "They had a handful of intern doctors and one attending, and the attending was swamped with more serious injuries and left poor Ian to the mercies of a –"

"Completely incompetent ignoramus," Janet finished. "First she gave him a local – without asking him if he was allergic to anything – and then she gave him a dose of Codeine without taking a history."

Since Sam had no idea what was wrong with that, she didn't say anything, but it didn't matter, because Fraiser wasn't finished.

"And then she was going to shave the entire side of his head to put the stitches in – because she said she couldn't see the wound to stitch it."

"So you took over?"

Janet nodded, still looking annoyed, but the hand that brushed Ian's forehead was gentle. The cadet leaned back to look at her, but Sam could tell he wasn't quite all there.

"Is he okay?"

"He's overmedicated," Janet said. "Apparently he didn't have much of a breakfast – which would have come out if she'd have followed the proper procedure and taken a history – and she gave him way too much for painkillers."

"Should he be here?" Sam asked, worried. She slid her hand along Ian's cheek, and the cadet smiled and closed his eyes, obviously enjoying the attention – which told Sam he _definitely_ wasn't himself, because she knew he'd have been annoyed if he'd been feeling better.

"Better here where I can keep an eye on him," Fraiser said, scowling. It was pretty apparent that Janet was going to have words with the senior staff at that hospital when they came back from their holiday. And for good reason, Sam decided.

"Does he need anything?"

She shook her head.

"He's fine, Sam. It'll wear off in a few hours – maybe sooner. I'd say you should feed him, but I'm not sure if he'd be able to hold anything down, so-"

"I could eat," Ian told them, opening his eyes.

"You sure?" Janet asked.

"Sure."

Sam looked at Janet, who shrugged.

"I'll make him a sandwich," Sam said, taking that as a yes.

"I can make it," Ian said, putting his hand down to push himself off the couch.

"I'll do it," Sam said, putting her hand on his shoulder to hold him down. The last thing she wanted was a doped up Ian in her kitchen. He got into enough trouble when he was at his best – and now he definitely wasn't.

"I got it," Jack said, heading for the kitchen with Jaffer right behind him. Daniel followed him – as did Teal'c.

They watched as Jack put together a quick ham and cheese sandwich.

"You guys shoveled the walk?" Jack asked. The driveway and the sidewalk had both been shoveled when he'd pulled in.

"Yeah," Daniel told him, leaning against the counter, stealing a slice of cheddar. "It didn't take long."

"Thanks."

He shrugged to tell him it was no big deal, and Jack put the sandwich on a saucer and took it back to the living room.

"Never mind," Sam told him, taking the sandwich from him. "He's asleep."

Jack took a quick look, saw that Ian had, indeed, fallen asleep – leaning against Sally, who was smiling to find herself in such a position when she didn't even know the guy – and looked at Janet to make sure she wasn't worried. When he saw that she only looked amused, Jack took the sandwich back from Sam, figuring he'd eat it himself.

"How long is he going to sleep?" He asked.

"Anxious to whack him again?" Sally asked him.

"Smart ass."

Cassie smiled – wishing she'd been seated on the couch. She wouldn't have minded cuddling Ian while he slept.

Janet shrugged.

"It depends on him, Jack. We'll put him to bed so he's out of the way, and when he wakes up he can come join us."

"Teal'c?"

The Jaffa stepped forward and easily scooped the cadet up into his strong arms, and followed Sam to Ian's room. Daniel took the vacated spot next to Sally and looked at Jack.

"You going to share that sandwich?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I shoveled your driveway..."

"I didn't tell you to..."

"Sally did."

Jack smiled at Sally, who had rested her hand lightly on Daniel's thigh.

"Tell him that my deck needs shoveled, too."

Cassie snickered.


	32. 32

While they waited for the turkey to cook – and Ian to wake up – the seven of them pulled out a couple of decks of cards and played assorted card games. They started with Rummy, but quickly switched over to Spoons, which was a personal favorite of Jack's. He loved diving for the spoons – and even more, he loved _pretending_ to dive for a spoon to make everyone else grab for one, and then he would sit back and watch the chaos he'd caused. They played at the dining room table – which would eventually need to be pulled out and a couple of leaves put in it so it was longer, and then set – but for now it was just them, and it was the perfect size for cards.

It was nice to have this quiet (so to speak) time together, with nothing more serious than who was going to win this round of the game and who was winning the football game that was on in the background. The house smelled wonderful and was warm and comfortable without being too hot, and even the dogs managed to calm down eventually and lounge around under the table, chewing on rawhide treats that Jack had pulled out of the drawer for them.

"So is Jacob coming to dinner?" Daniel asked Sam as they regrouped after another dive at the spoons.

"He wasn't sure," she said. "If he can get done with what he's doing – something _hush hush_, I'm sure – then he said he'd try to make it. Otherwise he's going to pass. We won't set him a plate unless he comes before dinner – but I'm sure there'll be plenty of leftovers so he won't starve if he does come late."

"Not to mention, he's also going to head to Hammond's," Jack added.

"What about Shawn?" Teal'c asked.

"He'll be here," Jack said. "He's probably not going to stay for dinner, though – might just drop by and say hi, depending on what Dotty has them all doing over there."

"And I'll get a chance to meet River," Cassie said, nonchalantly, as she looked at her cards that had been dealt.

Jack looked over at her, but she wasn't meeting anyone's eyes, and Sam hid her grin behind her cards.

"Yeah, River will probably come..."

Janet smiled as well, but Sally frowned in confusion.

"Who's River?"

"Shawn's other roommate," Cassie answered. "Apparently he's pretty hot."

"Hot?" Teal'c asked.

Cassie smiled, used to Teal'c not knowing every phrase she and the others used.

"That means he's supposed to be cute, Teal'c."

"Ah."

They were so caught up in this fascinating conversation that none of them – even Jack, who wasn't quite so caught up in the conversation as he was deciding whether he needed to have a talk with River about Cassie – noticed that Jaffer had abandoned the bone and his position under the table and had headed down the hallway.

OOOOOOOO

_Holy_ Fucking _Christ! Run!_

_They were taking the stairs at an ungodly pace, and Ian could feel the invisible people right behind him – he was certain he could hear their footfalls echoing through the stairwell. He chanced a look back, but knew that even if they were right beside him, he'd never be able to see them – they were invisible after all. The look back turned out to be his undoing, and the cadet missed the step he'd been aiming for and went down in a tumble, feeling pain lacing through his head._

_"Ian!"_

_"_Go_, Shawn! Don't fucking wait for-"_

"Easy..."

The nightmare shattered around him, literally exploding into fragments even as Ian was living it. He jolted upright in his bed, gasping for breath as he always did, looking around for the source of that deep voice and trying to see who was in the room with him. He'd felt something close by for just a moment – something so powerful that it had managed to get past his own-

He heard a soft scuffling at the door, and looked over, eyes wide as for the briefest moment he thought maybe the shadowy invisible figures had escaped his dream and had come into the real world once more, looking for him. Then he heard the softest of whines, and realized that it wasn't any danger at all.

Forcing himself to breathe deeply, filled with the same disgust in himself that he always felt – once he'd managed to shake the terror of the nightmare – Ian rolled off the bed, ignoring the throbbing in his head and the shaking of his knees. He opened the door, trying to act as if nothing were wrong – in case Jack or Sam was on the other side of the door.

It was just Jaffer, though. The black lab was looking up at him, his brown eyes troubled. Ian looked down the hall and saw it was empty. He could hear the voices of the others coming from the dining room – and the house smelled delicious – but he had no desire to join them just yet. Not until he managed to get himself under control. He leaned down and slid his hand for the briefest moments along Jaffer's silky ears, but he didn't allow himself to cuddle against the lab like he wanted to. Like he had the night before.

Jaffer wasn't going to be going back to the academy with him when the weekend was over, and it wouldn't do for Ian to get used to having him to lean on every time he had a bad dream. He was smart enough to know that. Jesus, maybe he should get himself a teddy bear? Yeah, that'd look great, wouldn't it? He scowled, but Jaffer didn't seem to mind, and the black lab nudged him, obviously wanting to be petted. Telling himself he was doing Jaffer the favor of giving him a good scratch, Ian sat down on the rollaway bed and cuddled the big dog close to him for a moment, rubbing his shoulder and sides.

"Ian?"

He looked up, suddenly, startled, and saw Sam in the doorway, watching him with concern in her blue eyes.

"Maj – I mean, Sam... hey..."

"Are you all right?"

She'd thought she'd heard his door open, and had come to check, only to find Jaffer's butt sticking out of the door to the guest room. A moment later it had vanished as the lab had gone over to Ian's bed, and Sam had come down the hallway silently, and saw Ian holding Jaffer, looking shaky and very much in need of the comfort the lab was giving him. When he'd looked up at her, Sam saw the same bleak look in his eyes that she'd seen that morning, and she'd wondered immediately what was wrong – but couldn't just come out and ask. She knew that if she did, he'd clam up tighter than a drum.

"I'm fine," he told her, already closing her out, she saw. She was used to it from Jack – he'd done it all the time in the beginnings of their relationship, although he very rarely did it now – so she recognized the signs immediately.

"Is your head bothering you?" She asked, coming over and sitting down next to him, not touching, but close to it. Close enough that he could have easily reached for her. But he didn't – and she'd pretty much known he wasn't going to.

Jumping on the excuse she offered him, Ian nodded, not making eye contact since he was a shitty liar and he knew she'd know he wasn't telling the complete truth if she had a chance to look at his expression. He'd _never_ been a good liar – not even when he was little.

"A bit," he said. "It's no big deal though."

Sam reached out and ran her fingers lightly through his hair, making sure to avoid the area that had been injured. Ian froze at the touch, but he didn't pull away as she'd half expected him to. Deciding that she wasn't going to push him – which would probably do them no good – she nodded.

"Think you're up for coming out and joining us? The turkey should be done in another hour or so..."

He nodded, still not looking at her.

"Sounds good."

She stood up, hesitated for only a moment, and then brushed a light kiss against his temple before she headed for the door.

"We'll see you soon..."

He nodded, feeling like he was going to cry all of the sudden. Swallowing a lump the size of his house, he cleared his throat.

"I'll be right out..."

Sam nodded, and left him alone with Jaffer, who was watching the cadet intently. Ian sighed.

"What was I _supposed_ to do? Tell her?" He asked, wishing that he'd had the guts to do just that and knowing he wouldn't have even if he'd been tortured. Jaffer snorted softly, but that was the only answer he had – and at that it was more than Ian had, himself.


	33. 33

Jack looked up when Sam reentered the dining room and sat back down at the table. He didn't miss the troubled look in her expression – although he knew she was trying to hide it. She just didn't hide her feelings from him very well.

"What's up?" Jack asked.

Sam smiled, reaching for the tray of crackers, cheese slices and meat slices.

"Ian's awake."

"How does he feel?" Janet asked, immediately.

"He told me his head was bothering him – but just a little," Sam said, giving them a reason in case Ian didn't make an immediate appearance. "He should be out in a bit."

Janet looked like she was tempted to go see how he was doing, but she decided she'd wait until he came out to them – instead of rushing into his room and smothering him. But she was tempted. Of course, she was a doctor and smothering was what she did best.

Sam saw this and smiled as she picked up her cards, silently telling them that they should continue their game. Which they did.

OOOOO

It didn't take Ian all that long to come join them. Not because he felt ready to join them – because he didn't really. But he figured he'd better pull his shit together before Jack came looking for Jaffer – who wasn't showing any inclination to leave him alone just then. He sat on the bed for another couple of minutes, mainly just trying to get his heart back to a regular rate, and his head to stop pounding. His heart eventually slowed a bit – which worked to give his pale face a bit of color – but his head still throbbed, and Ian decided that it was just the cut and not a side effect of stress from the nightmare.

He looked around the room again, certain that he'd heard a deep voice – had been woken up by it, in fact – and that there had been someone in the room with him, but he didn't feel that person there, now, and obviously there weren't any deep voices speaking into his head just then. He sighed, and got to his feet, pulling off his sweatshirt that he'd fallen asleep in and walking down the hall in an ever-present t-shirt and jeans with Jaffer walking beside him.

"Hey, there he is!"

Jack noticed Ian immediately – mainly because he was looking right at the entrance to the hall when Jaffer and the cadet made their appearance.

Ian gave them all a forced smile and walked over to the table and sat down in the empty chair next to Cassie, who decided that he still looked tired.

"Are you hungry, Ian?" Sam asked, pushing the platter of meats and cheeses towards him, along with a plate.

Since he hadn't had anything but some toast and milk all day, and was used to eating far more than that, Ian gathered a plate of the hors d'oeuvres with enthusiasm, unaware that Janet was watching him intently, deciding whether she was pleased with his appearance or not. He looked a little pale – but not too much – and a bit distracted, which might mean that his head was hurting more than just a little. Of course, since he hadn't eaten all day – and it was now after noon – it was a good chance that he was simply hungry, and would feel better after he'd eaten. So she'd wait and see.

Cassie, of course, was watching him for another reason entirely, but she was doing it discreetly, and Ian was too involved with eating everything on his plate for the first few minutes to be aware of anything else going on around him. Jack, however, was aware of what was going on and caught Cassie's eye, and she blushed, which made him grin. She turned her attention back to the game, although she still had part of her attention on Ian.

"What are you playing?" Ian asked.

"Spoons," Daniel said. "Want to play?"

He shook his head; he didn't have a clue what Spoons was.

"I've never played it..."

"Keep an eye on Cassie," Jack suggested. "Watch her hand and see what she does. When you get the jist of things, we'll deal you in and add another spoon."

Yeah, sure... Cassie turned her cards slightly, showing him the ones she had. She was more than willing to have him keep an eye on her!

"The trick is to get all four of something," she told him. "All of the twos, or the fives... something like that. So you pick up the card the person next to you passes and try to match them up with your cards. If you don't see what you need, you pass those cards onto the next person. When you have all four, you grab a spoon. There's one less spoon than there are people, so if you see someone else grab a spoon, grab one, too. The person that doesn't get a spoon is the loser for that hand..."

That sounded easy enough, Ian decided. He munched on his food and watched as the cards were passed in almost complete silence for a few minutes – and then all hell broke loose.

Sam reached out suddenly – almost so quickly that Ian didn't see it happening – and grabbed a spoon. Then everyone grabbed at the same time for the remaining spoons – and they weren't being gentle.

Daniel actually came over the table, grabbing his spoon and knocking all the other spoons to the floor, and everyone else – including Cassie- dove for the floor to get theirs. Ian watched in shock as they squabbled and wrestled for them like the last donut at a law enforcement convention, and Sam caught his eye over the table. She held up her cards; showing them to him, and he saw that she didn't even have four of a kind. She'd just pulled a Jack and had sent them all for spoons to enjoy the wrestling match that would ensue.

He smiled and shook his head, but everyone popped their heads up before he could say anything.

Jack scowled over at Sam, taking her hand and looking at her cards.

"You didn't have-"

The phone rang and interrupted him before he could accuse her of cheating – which she was.

"Want me to get that?" Ian asked.

Jack and Sam both dove for the phone at the same time – almost like it was a spoon.

"Guess not," he said, more to himself than to anyone else – although Cassie heard him and smiled.

"They probably-"

There was a knock on the door, and Ian didn't even ask if they wanted him to get that. If the phone was any indication, they apparently preferred to do all that stuff themselves. Jaffer and Jack (the dog) rushed to the door, and Jack looked over at Sam – who'd answered the phone. She smiled and nodded, and the Colonel looked over at Ian.

"Get that, will you, Ian?"

"Sure."

He got up and went to the door, while Jack called Jaffer back to the dining room, and Teal'c called Jack. Which was just as well, because the minute Ian opened the door he was bowled over by an attack from a source he'd never have expected in a million years.

A large black lab – not as large as Jaffer but just as large as Jack and quite a bit heavier – jumped up on him, knocking him backwards to the floor, whuffling excitedly. Ian held the big head back after the initial attack, wondering what the hell was going on until – until he realized that he _knew_ this dog. Knew him better than he knew anyone in the room. He grabbed the black collar that held a familiar blue license tag and pulled the dog's head down into his arms.

"_Bubba_!"

Smiling, and looking down at the cadet and the lab, a large man with piercing blue eyes and a small woman with dark eyes and dark hair stood in the doorway, both of them looking pleased.

"Happy Thanksgiving, son," Nathan Brooks said, ushering his wife into the warm house so he could close the door before they let all the heat out.


	34. 34

_Author's Note: Whuffling is the noise a dog makes (horses make it, too) when he or she is sniffing at your face or other parts of your body and they're doing it with a wet noise – usually because horses and dogs both have wet noses. It's like when you have a dog treat in your pocket, and your dog KNOWS you have a dog treat in your pocket, and is damned bound and determined to get it. Do that sometime, and you'll see what whuffling is. (Although it's not in the dictionary, so maybe I made the word up). Kudos to me! Hehe_

OOOOOOOO

It took Ian a full three minutes to get himself picked up off the floor. Mainly because Bubba was so excited to see him that the black lab was all over him and wasn't going to let him up. Then, when Jack let Jaffer loose, the bigger black lab had to come over and make sure ole Bubba wasn't hurting Ian – who was in his house and under _his_ protection, after all. Jack (the dog) was only a moment behind Jaffer, and soon the cadet found himself buried under well over three hundred pounds of dog. More to save his skin than because he really wanted to, he wrestled his way out of the literal dog pile and got to his feet, standing face to face with his parents, who had been watching the scene without moving from the entranceway.

If there was any doubt where Ian got his looks, Sam didn't have to wonder any more. His mother – Maggie Brooks, she knew – was beautiful. Dark hair and dark eyes, with a gorgeous face and body that showed no signs of her age – even under the bulky coat she was wearing. Where her perfection was feminine, she'd passed those same traits onto Ian, in a more masculine - although no less perfect - fashion. But she was fairly small – only 5'5 or so – so it was obvious the cadet got his size from his father, who was large and imposing.

"What are you guys doing here?" Ian asked, as his mother pulled him into her arms and hugged him tightly. Sam saw that there was no hesitation when he hugged his mother. No matter what he felt about his father – and she knew there was tension between the two – he truly loved his mother, because he held her close for a long moment while she kissed his cheek repeatedly.

"Sam invited us for dinner," Nathan told his son when his wife released him. The retired General put his hand out and shook Ian's hand – and even then looked uncomfortable doing it. Yeah, those two didn't have the same relationship Ian and Maggie did, it was obvious. "So, since we were in the area, we thought we'd stop by."

"You were in the area, huh?" He looked down at Bubba, who was sniffing butts with the other two labs. Obviously, they weren't just 'in the area'. Not if they had Bubba with them.

"We can't stay for too long," Maggie said, wrapping her arm around Ian's lean waist and propelling him away from the door. "Our plane leaves in four hours. But we couldn't _not_ come."

Realizing that there was a whole room full of people who had no idea who these two were – aside from being his folks – Ian made introductions. He did it fairly randomly, since they were all gathering around, now, but he knew his parents wouldn't have any trouble remembering names in a group this small. He simply gave names as he pointed at each, giving them time to shake hands or bow or nod hello – whatever they wanted to do.

"Mom and dad; this is Daniel Jackson, and his girlfriend Sally – I don't know her last name – sorry – and this is Janet Fraiser, and Teal'c –" Maggie looked up at the huge Jaffa with absolutely no sign of being worried about that hand she was shaking crushing hers, although it obviously could have, which pleased Teal'c, since all too often people showed signs of being intimidated by him when they met him, without even having a chance to get to know him.

"This is Cassandra Fraiser – Janet's daughter – and you already know Sam and Jack..."

Maggie gave Sam a hug. She hadn't actually met Sam before; she'd only talked to her on the phone. "It was wonderful of you to invite us. I've missed him so much – and he _never_ calls." She looked over at Ian. "I _know_ you know how to use a phone – I taught you myself."

Ian looked chagrined, which made everyone in the room grin at his discomfiture, and he looked for a topic to distract her.

"Daniel's an archeologist."

"Really?" Maggie looked over at Daniel, who nodded, but she knew her son, and knew exactly what he was doing. "I bet _he_ knows how to use a phone..."

Jack snorted, and Maggie turned her attention to him, her eyes full of affection.

"Jack, it's been far too long since I've seen you last. Let me guess; _you_ don't know how to call, either?"

"You know us Colonel types, Maggie," Jack said. "We have subordinates to do that kind of thing for us, so we just forget how to do for ourselves."

He gave her a hug – surprising everyone in the room but Sam and Nathan – and then she kissed his cheek lightly.

"It's good to see you. When do I get to meet your son?"

Jack took her coat, unphased. Everyone in the room knew Shawn was Jack's son; after all, so there was no reason to panic.

"He should be by later. Hopefully before you and Nate have to go."

She nodded, and Sam took over.

"Why don't you come in and sit down?" She said as Jack took Nathan's jacket as well. "We were just playing cards, but the turkey's probably ready, so your timing is perfect."

Maggie walked beside Ian, who put his arm around her shoulder, and she noticed the bandage on his wrist for the first time. She stopped, and took his hand, looking at his wrist and then up at him.

"What did you do?"

"Which time?" Jack asked. "One is from Cassie trying to kill him while they were peeling apples, and the other's God's way of punishing him for buying a piece of fruit he didn't know how to eat."

"What?"

Ian tried to pull his hand away, but his mother had a firm grip on it and wouldn't relinquish it. She was waiting for an explanation – one that she understood – and wasn't going to let it go until she had one. Sam liked Ian's mother, already.

"It's okay, mom..." Ian said. "My knife slipped when I was cutting into a pomegranate, and it cut me – how come we never had pomegranates, before?"

"Because they're _messy_."

She let his hand go, satisfied, and looked up at him, speculatively. Like all mothers, she had a sense that told her when something was up with her child, and all the alarms were going off – although he _seemed_ fine. There was something lurking, though, just in the depths of those dark eyes that she knew better than anyone else. A hurt that was deeper than the simple cut on his hand.

"What else?" She asked. "Any other injuries?"

"Jack tried to take his head off with a shovel this morning," Cassie said, getting even with Jack for blaming the apple cut on her – even though it _was_ her fault. "He's got 14 stitches in his scalp, now."

"It was an accident," Jack said, immediately, much to Sam's amusement.

"It's fine," Ian told her, before she could make a big deal out of it, but Maggie was already pushing him into one of the dining room chairs so she could have a look. "Janet was right there – and she's a doctor."

Maggie looked over at Fraiser, who nodded as she walked over and pointed to the line of stitches, and Ian was forced to sit there while his mother examined his head and Janet told the story of the trip to the hospital.

Nathan – completely used to this kind of thing – looked over at Sam, his blue eyes filled with good humor.

"So? Anything _I_ can do to help out while Maggie interrogates Ian?"

"Do you know how to toss a salad?"

"Where ever you want it..."

Sam smiled. Why did _that_ sound familiar?

"Why don't you help Jack set the table?"


	35. 35

Nate and Jack had plenty of help setting the table. Daniel and Teal'c both stepped forward to grab dishes and silverware, while Cassie and Sally went into the kitchen to help Sam with the last minute food preparations. Potatoes had been boiling and were ready to be mashed – Sally took care of that – and there were rolls to be pulled from the warmer, which Cassie started on. The fridge was emptied of all the food it had been filled with during the last few days, as mounds of assorted food was set on the counter.

"Jack?" Sam called. "Will you set up the card table?"

The card table – which was a bit sturdier than most card tables – was going to be used to hold all the food before it was served – leaving more space for people to eat. It had been Jack's idea, and it was a good one, Sam had decided. It would also hold all the desserts once the main meal had been eaten and cleared away. Jack did as he was asked, and soon the food that was filling the counters was sent into the dining room and onto the card table, leaving room for the turkey, which was ready to come out of the oven.

Jack wouldn't let Sam lift the heavy bird. He grabbed the potholders and opened the oven himself, pulling the large roasting pan out as Sam and the others watched appreciatively.

"It smells wonderful, Sam," Sally said. Cassie nodded her agreement.

Sam beamed.

"I was-"

The doorbell interrupted her, and there was a mad dash as all three labs rushed for the door to see who was on the other side.

"I'll get it, Sam," Ian said, mainly to get away from his mother's mothering. He loved her, but there were some things even love would only put up with so much of, after all.

"Thanks, Ian."

The cadet headed for the door, wading through dogs, and sliding his hand along Bubba's back, grinning as he opened the door. And saw yet another person he'd never have expected to see standing there – and it was obvious that the visitor felt the same way, because they both stood staring at each other.

"Ian?"

"General Carter?"

"What are you doing here?"

"What are you doing here?"

"My daughter lives here, and I was invited to – hey, is that _Bubba_? What's he doing here? I thought you were at the-"

"Dad?"

Sam had waded through the dogs, too, leaving the turkey to Jack to carve and the stuffing to Sally.

General Carter's face lit up when he saw her, and he hugged her tight for a long moment.

"Hi, sweetheart."

"Hi." She smiled. "I'm glad you made-"

"General Carter's your _dad_?" Ian asked Sam.

"You know him?" Sam asked, surprised.

"What's Ian doing here, Sam?" Jacob asked. "Is _Nathan_ here, Ian?"

"Yes, Sir, he's-"

"Jacob!"

Nathan had come to the door as well, mainly to see if they needed help pulling Bubba off whoever was at the door. The lab was well trained, but occasionally that training would fly out his ears if he got excited.

"Nathan." Jacob Carter's grin was huge, now, and he brushed past Sam to shake his friend's hand. "It's been way too long."

Sam and Ian stared at each other as the two retired Generals walked off into the living room, where Maggie had come to see who had her husband so excited and was now greeting Jacob with a hug.

"You know my dad?" Sam asked.

Ian nodded.

"He's a friend of my dad's..."

Obviously.

Sam smiled; pleased. She shouldn't have been surprised, after all. Ian's dad was a General – and as Hammond had said only a few days before; there weren't all that many of them. They had to all at least know each other – although from the looks of it, General Brooks and Jacob Carter were close. Sam wondered why she'd never been introduced to Brooks before.

"I wonder why I haven't met him...?" She mused, thinking aloud, more than actually asking Ian.

"If he's anything like my dad, he probably was gone too much to bother introducing you to his buddies," Ian said with just a trace of bitterness in his expression.

Sam shook her head, closing the door.

"_You_ met him."

"Because he's retired, now, Sam." Ian said, looking over at his father, who was talking to Daniel and Teal'c, while Jacob went to say hi to the others. "My mom makes him stay home, now – more or less – or she goes with him..."

He shrugged, realizing that he probably sounded like he was whining – and he wasn't. That was the past, and it was just that; past.

"No matter," he told her, putting his arm around her waist and taking her back into the dining room. "We're practically _family_, you know that?"

"Hey – that's my _wife_ you're being family with," Jack said, catching the end of the sentence as they walked into the dining room, and noticing Ian's arm around Sam.

The cadet smiled, and relinquished his hold on Sam, but Jacob came over munching on a handful of olives.

"Don't let him intimidate you, Ian... he's a pushover."

"I'm not afraid of him, Jacob," Ian said. "He's too old to-"

"I'm holding a knife, young man," Jack interrupted.

"Not to mention, he's younger than I am," Jacob told him.

"And he's younger than me, too," Nate said.

"So, you're all three old..." Ian said, stepping behind Sam to use her as a shield, and pulling his mother close, as well. He wasn't above using that mother son bond when he needed to. "Lucky thing _Doctor Fraiser's_ here... in case one of you has a heart attack or something... better keep the cholesterol low, Sam, just to make-"

"Want me to hold him down while you pull out his fingernails, Jack?" Jacob asked.

"I don't need help," Jack said, smiling.

"All _he_ needs is a shovel," Cassie said, stepping behind Ian and using the shield as well.

Sam laughed, and moved out of Ian's grip.

"We'll worry about that later, you guys," she told them. "Let's eat before the food gets cold."


	36. 36

_Author's Note: I like Sam too much to ruin her first Thanksgiving dinner with injuries or a food fight, so none of that during dinner – sorry! Afterwards, though...? We'll see._

OOOOOOO

"Now I know why the government has a deficit," Jack said an hour later, as he pushed his empty plate away. "From feeding Ian."

The rest of the people at the table all smiled, but Ian didn't even blink.

"I thought it was health care for you, Colonel."

Cassie snorted, almost spraying Ian with her milk, but saving it at the last second – which he appreciated.

It was true that Ian had eaten fairly well, though. As Sam watched in amazement (and proud gratification, since she'd done most of the cooking) the cadet and Teal'c had managed to barrel their way through everything on the table. Teal'c was and always had been a big eater – look at the size of him, after all – but Ian had matched him helping for helping and bite for bite, and the cadet was hardly a heavy weight. There was plenty of food, and the others didn't go hungry by any means – Daniel had long since surreptitiously loosened his belt – but they'd all watched in various stages of shock as Ian cleared his plate for the forth time.

Of course, he hadn't had much of anything to eat that day, aside from some meat and cheese and some toast. That was hardly what he was used to – and Sam's dinner was the first home-cooked meal he'd had in months. There was no way he was going to miss it, and no way he'd be embarrassed about enjoying it.

"I don't get a meal like this every day," Ian said, tossing Sam a smile to tell her quite plainly that he was impressed with her cooking. "It was great."

"If you ate like that every day, you'd never fit into your clothes," Janet told him with a smile of her own. She didn't have boys, and had never actually seen a young man's appetite at work before – she was impressed.

Ian smiled, and leaned back in his chair with a sigh.

"Full?" Sam asked.

"_Satisfied_," he corrected her. "Full implies there's no more room..."

"Ready for dessert?" She challenged.

"No." The answer was immediate, and Sam wasn't the only one around the table to grin.

"Did you hear the latest on Senator – excuse me, _Vice President-elect_ – Kinsey, Jack?" Nathan asked, leaning back as well. Maggie Brooks was a wonderful cook, but there just wasn't anything better than a Thanksgiving meal to make a man eat more than he should.

"There's been a lot about him in the news," Jack answered, blandly, his warm brown eyes suddenly a little guarded – not everyone in the room knew about what had happened between O'Neill and Kinsey – and Dotty and a few others – and Nathan should know that. "Which story are you talking about?"

"The one where no one can seem to find the car he wrecked..."

"Someone probably stole it," Daniel said.

"Who'd want a wrecked car?" Cassie asked.

Sam shrugged.

"Who would want a piece of Elvis' shirt?" She asked. "There are all sorts of people out there who collect all sorts of things like that. If you get famous enough, someone will want something of yours."

"Hey, _I_ have a handkerchief of Elvis'," Janet said, defensively. "He threw it at me..."

"Who's _Elvis_?" Ian asked.

Janet tossed her napkin at him, well aware that he was making a sly remark about her own age, now. Ian caught it, and showed it to Cassie, holding it close against his chest in mock exhilaration.

"Look! A piece of _history_!" He put his hand to his forehead, pretending to swoon, while Cassie giggled.

"Now she just needs to get famous."

"I hear the tabloids calling now," Janet said, dryly. "Something about Janet Fraiser – the woman who murdered the two smart-assed kids who were making fun of her..."

Ian laughed, and neatly folded her napkin before handing it back to her.

"Just for that, Cassandra and I will clear the plates and get the next round of coffee," he said, standing up.

Cassie stood up as well, not minding that she'd been volunteered into service. She didn't mind helping out – not when it meant being with Ian – and besides, by clearing the table they'd probably get out of actually _doing_ the dishes. Not to mention she loved the way he said her name – she couldn't believe he thought he was an asshole – and _really_ couldn't believe he didn't have a girlfriend. He seemed nice enough to her.

"There are plastic storage dishes for the leftovers," Sam told them, more than willing to allow them to do the work for a while. While the day hadn't been all that hard thanks to all the help she'd had, she was ready to sit back and enjoy the fact that their first Thanksgiving meal had gone very well.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Clearing the dishes wasn't really all that hard, and since the others were stacking their dishes to make it even easier, it didn't take long. Ian found the plastic containers Sam had mentioned, and Cassie started bringing him the leftovers one dish at a time so he could take care of them – which was a lot easier than each of them going from the table to the kitchen.

Daniel came into the kitchen before they were done, though, and took the coffee.

"I'll take care of this, guys," he told them.

Meaning, he wanted coffee now and didn't want to wait. Ian didn't know Daniel all that well, but Cassie did, and she explained it to him before he could be offended or worried that someone thought he wasn't working fast enough. Ian nodded and flipped a slice of ham to Bubba, who was standing just at the edge of the kitchen tile, with his paws just barely on the carpet of the dining room. Jaffer and Jack weren't so well mannered. Both of them were underfoot, begging shamelessly for their share of the scraps with sad, mournful expressions that plainly said they weren't fed anywhere near as often as they should have been.

"Why's he standing back there?" Cassie asked, looking at Bubba, who neatly caught the slice of ham and gobbled it down.

"He's not allowed in the kitchen," Ian explained. "Mom tripped over him once when he was a puppy, and made the rule – and held him to it." Ian smiled, his eyes soft as he tossed another slice of ham to the lab while Cassie gave Jack and Jaffer pieces as well to keep them from rioting. "He gets as close as he can, though, you'll notice."

She nodded.

"He's really pretty."

Ian's smile grew, and he preened just a little with pride – Bubba was _his_ baby, after all.

"Thanks, Cassandra. He's-"

There was a knock on the door just then, and whatever Ian was going to say about Bubba was cut off when all three dogs forgot all about the food in the kitchen and went scrambling for the front door.

"I got it," Jack called – before Ian or Cassie could offer.

He got up and walked to the door, calling Jaffer to heel while Teal'c did the same with Jack. Ian came out of the kitchen to control Bubba just as Jack opened the door, and Jack grabbed Bubba's collar with a quick, experienced hand to keep the dog from going out the door.

Ian smiled; coming through the door were Shawn, River and a girl he didn't know – probably Shawn's girlfriend, Gina – who had just reached down and picked up a big fluffy bundle of black that was squirming and wriggling excitedly, looking down at the labs happily.

"Hi, Jack," Shawn said, pushing his way through the dogs. "Did we miss dinner?"


	37. 37

_Author's Note: Okay, now there are officially 14 people in the O'Neill house – not to mention 4 dogs, and I'm going to try to do them all justice without getting them tangled up, but if you feel I left someone out, please understand why it happened!_

OOOOOOOO

"_Jasmine_!"

Jack reached out and took the squirming puppy from Gina, who smiled and relinquished her hold on her. Tucking Jasmine neatly – and expertly – under his arm, he gave Gina a hug with the other one, pulling her close and ignoring Jasmine's annoyed little growl when the baby lab got pressed between the two of them.

"Hey, Gina, how are you?"

Gina hugged Jack just as tightly – Jack was really one of her favorite people, and he'd given her Jasmine, which was a priceless gift in itself. She loved him.

"I'm great, Jack," she said, truthfully. "How are you?"

"Stuffed to the gills with Sam's good cooking – which you've all missed by less than an hour." He said, adding in River and Shawn with the last part of his sentence.

River was looking around him – at the dogs and the room filled with people – but Shawn simply smiled his lopsided Jack copy grin.

"Mom said we weren't allowed to eat, anyways," he told Jack. "If we eat here and spoil our appetites for _her_ meal, she said bad things would happen to us."

Jack laughed, and waded through the excited dogs to shake River's hand, pulling the cadet into the room at the same time.

"Everyone's here, guys, come and say hi."

With Jasmine still tucked under his arm – there was no way Gina was going to get _her_ back any time soon – Jack led them into the dining room, just as Cassie was walking out of the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. She knew Shawn and Gina, of course – had known them for years – but she was really looking forward to seeing what was so great about this River guy that had everyone so agog.

And then she saw him, and she understood.

Sam suppressed a smile at the sudden shock she saw in Cassie's eyes and was glad for Cassie's sake that no one else seemed to be looking at her.

Oh, God... no one was _that_ perfect. Cassandra thought she actually felt her heart skip a little beat in pure reaction when she saw him for the first time. He was blonde – incredibly blonde – and he had blue eyes that were a match for Nathan Brooks'. And the tan! Oh, goodness, was he tanned everywhere like that, or just his face and what she could see of his arms? It didn't help that he was wearing a white sweatshirt that showed the tan even better. Perfect, even features that made her wonder which parent he got them from, and he was almost the exact same height as Ian – which meant he was the perfect height, too.

Her mouth went dry as Shawn started introducing him to everyone around the table – although Jack's son barely knew Nathan, and didn't know his wife at all.

"River, this is Sally, Daniel's girlfriend and General Carter, who is Sam's dad... you know Teal'c and Daniel, of course, and Doctor Fraiser, and Ian's dad, and –"

"You're _definitely_ Ian's mother," River said, smiling broadly, stepping forward and taking Maggie's hand easily – as if he'd known her all his life. "You're beautiful – if I may say so – and I can't imagine how your son ended up so ugly."

Oh, he had a perfect smile, too! Cassie felt her mouth go dry.

Maggie Brooks smiled, liking this young man already. She didn't blush – oh, sure, he was a good looking young man, but she had a son who was just as good looking – and she was used to compliments from him – and others.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, River," Maggie said, taking her hand from his. "I'm Maggie-"

"You're Margaret Brooks!" Gina said, suddenly, almost squealing.

Everyone in the room turned to look at the teenager, and all of them looked surprised.

Maggie nodded.

"I _love you_! I've got every performance you've ever-"

"You know her?" Shawn asked, surprised.

"She's only the most famous ballet dancer in the _country_," Gina said, excitedly. "Oh my God, I'm soooo happy to meet you."

Maggie smiled, broadly. She wasn't used to being recognized – except by much older people who were usually the ones that frequented the dance theaters and the various Broadway theaters that she danced at. Sam decided that when she smiled like that, Maggie Brooks was even more beautiful.

"I'm happy to meet you, too, my dear," Ian's mother said. "If your friend would introduce us properly-"She looked at Shawn, pointedly, and he blushed.

"Sorry. This is Gina. Gina... um... this is Margaret Brooks... Ian's mom." Like she _needed_ an introduction? Apparently she was famous.

Everyone was staring at Margaret, now – except Jack, who knew she was a dancer, and her husband and son – who obviously did, as well. Although Nathan was looking pleased that his wife had been recognized.

River turned to Ian.

"Why didn't you tell us that your mom was famous?"

He shrugged, looking smug – which only made _him_ better looking, too.

"You didn't ask."

"We asked what she did-" Shawn said.

"And I told you she was a dancer," Ian said. "And as I recall, Hayden, _you_ made fun of me for knowing how to dance..."

Shawn nodded, remembering, now.

"That's right, River, you did."

River scowled, "I don't remember that."

Of course he did, but he wasn't going to admit to it. Not in front of her, especially.

"I do."

"Me, too."

River looked around the room for something to distract the attention from that particular conversation – and saw Cassie. His eyes lit up – both because here was a perfect distraction, and because she was pretty – and female.

"Don't tell me?" He said, walking over and taking her hand smoothly. "You're a famous actress, who has lit up the world of stage and song..."

Cassie blushed a brilliant shade of red and felt as awkward and gangly as a newborn colt.

"I'm Cass-"

"She's Doctor Fraiser's daughter," Ian said, stepping forward with a scowl of his own for his roommate. He was using Cassandra to hide his own embarrassment, and was embarrassing her in turn – not fair. "You remember Doctor Fraiser? The one you _shot_?"

River flushed and looked at Fraiser guiltily, but Janet only smiled. Cassandra smiled as well, grateful to Ian for taking the attention from her and was able to find her voice far sooner than she would have ordinarily.

"I'm _Cassandra_," she told him. "It's nice to meet you." Oh and by the way, would you take your shirt off so I can see if you're as beautiful under it as you are with it on?

"The pleasure is mine, Cassandra," River said, and this time his smile was just as genuine as she could have hoped for. His blue eyes – oh those impossibly blue and wonderful eyes – met hers and he shook her hand gently. "Doctor Fraiser never mentioned you were so pretty."

"She was too busy being unconscious," Ian muttered, but he didn't say it loud enough for anyone but Shawn to hear.


	38. 38

"We had dinner," Sam said to Shawn and the others, but there are plenty of leftovers..."

Well, not _plenty_. Ian and Teal'c had seen to that. But there was still a _lot_ of food left – certainly enough for three.

Gina shook her head, though, smiling at Sam.

"Dotty was pretty specific, Sam. We're _not_ to eat dinner with you guys – or else we'll make James' mother feel bad for not being able to eat the meal she helped make."

"And I'd never cross Shawn's mother," River said, smiling as well. "That's one tough lady, you know?"

"She'd have to be for putting up with you," Ian told him, reaching a hand out to Jasmine, who was still tucked under Jack's arm.

Jasmine stretched her head out as far as Jack's grip on her would allow, and licked Ian's fingertips delicately. Jack smiled – both at the jibe directed towards River, and because he knew Ian was admiring Jasmine – which made sense, of course, since she was the most perfect little girl lab in the world.

"Ian? Did you meet Gina?" Sam asked, pointedly. Of course he hadn't – Gina had been too busy introducing herself to Maggie.

Ian shook his head, turning his attention from Jasmine to her owner, who was looking at him now in a similar manner to how Cassie was watching River. He put his hand out, nowhere near the flirt that his roommate was.

"I'm Ian."

She took it, blushing slightly for absolutely no reason, and gave him a slight smile.

"I'm Gina."

Ian nodded, "I've heard a lot about you."

"You have?"

"Sure. Your mom's a dance instructor, right?"

Gina looked over at Shawn, who obviously had been the source of information, and then back to Ian.

"Yeah."

"Ian dances," Maggie said from where she was sitting beside Nathan, her hand resting lightly on his on the table. "He doesn't make it public knowledge, but he's very good."

"Gina's great," Shawn said. "Her mom's taught her everything from ballroom to Jazz. She taught Teal'c to Tango." He added, pointing at the Jaffa, who nodded his agreement.

Which explained to Maggie why Gina knew who she was. Ian's mother smiled.

"Your mother sounds like a remarkable woman, my dear."

Gina blushed, and smiled proudly. _She_ thought her mother was remarkable, yes. It was nice to hear someone so respected in the dancing community agree, though.

"Thank you, Mrs. Brooks."

"Call me Maggie – everyone does."

"I don't," Ian said.

"And I'll toss you in the harbor the minute you do," Maggie reminded him.

River snorted, and came over to sit in the chair beside her – vacated by Ian.

"I knew I was going to like you, Maggie," he said. "Would you consider throwing him in a snow bank or something – just as a warm up? That's something I'd like to see."

"Are you going to let him talk like that?" Jack asked Ian, smiling.

The cadet shrugged.

"It's a little crowded in here for me to kick his ass, Jack."

"Watch your mouth, Ian," Maggie said, sharply.

Ian flushed, and River smiled, smugly.

"Yeah, _Ian_... watch your mouth."

Maggie slapped the back of River's head – not hard, but enough to get his attention.

"You, too, young man."

It was River's turn to flush, and Sam smiled. Obviously, Maggie was used to dealing with her hot-tempered son, and River was no match for the woman.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Ian smiled, crossing his arms over his chest, pleased. He'd put up with anything from his mother – and very rarely swore in front of her – but he loved it when someone else tried to get something past her, because she had no problem keeping everyone in check – and never had.

"Would you care to step outside, Hayden? I'm pretty sure I can handle anything that you can hand me-"

Shawn stepped in at that point; because no matter how innocent this was going to start, he had a feeling that nothing good could come from a physical contest one on one between his roommates. The two of them had become pretty good with each other – they hadn't actually tried to start anything confrontational in months – and Shawn didn't want them to start, now.

"I think stepping outside is a –"

"Great idea," Jack said, handing Jasmine over to Daniel, who took the squirming puppy more than willingly. "I'll get the football."

He started for the closet.

Sam rolled her eyes, and looked over at Janet, who frowned.

"Ian's hurt, Colonel..."

"I'm fine," Ian said, automatically. He loved football, and hadn't played since his last game in high school. "Football it is. Coming, Hayden? Or don't you know any sport that doesn't involved the risk of being eaten by a shark?"

With a challenge like that – thrown down so casually – River was never going to decline, and Ian knew it.

The blonde cadet stood up, grinning.

"I'll play."

"Shawn? You playing?"

Shawn nodded. Why not?

"Gina? Cassandra? Interested?"

Both girls shrugged.

"Sure."

"Why not?"

Cassie knew how to play and was gratified that she'd been invited. Another notch in Ian's favor as far as she was concerned. Janet's frown grew more pronounced.

"I don't want you guys picking on-"

"She'll be fine," Ian promised. "We won't play tackle."

"I'm okay, mom," Cassie assured her, smiling. "Jack taught me all I need to know about football."

"Eating hotdogs and cussing at the referees is hardly enough to keep you from being killed..." Janet said, but she shrugged. If she wanted to play, who was she to stop her?

Sam laughed, and stood up.

"I'll play, too, since you're not playing tackle."

Jack frowned this time – as did Ian, Shawn, Jacob and Daniel.

"But-"

Sam raised an eyebrow – a perfect imitation of Teal'c's eyebrow thing. It was a definite challenge to all of the overly protective men in her life.

"Yes?"

"You have to be on Teal'c's team," Jack said. That'd keep her from being smooshed accidentally.

Sam nodded; like she _didn't_ want to be?

"Let's take this outside..."


	39. 39

_Author's Note: This would have been out much sooner if the site hadn't had the document manager down all day... Sorry!_

OOOOOOOO

They _all_ went outside. All fourteen of the people, and all four dogs – although the dogs didn't actually get picked into either of the teams.

"You playing, mom?" Ian asked, sending her a challenging look that she never would have backed down from.

"Sure."

"_You_ have to be on Teal'c's team, too, then," Nathan said, sizing up the big man – again. If his team was where Jack wanted Sam to be, then it was definitely where Nathan wanted his wife to be, as well.

"All right, guys," Jack said, tossing the ball a little as they filed out. He knew everyone – some more than others – and figured he would do the separating into teams. "Cassie, River, Ian, Gina, Sally and Daniel – you're with me."

He waited for them to move over to stand next to him, leaving Janet, Sam, Nathan, Maggie, Shawn and Jacob to stand beside Teal'c.

"It's two hand touch – below the waist." He looked at Ian and River, pointedly. "And I _mean_ it."

"Below the waist," River repeated. Then he looked over at the other team, and frowned. "Wait a minute – almost all the _married_ women are on that team. I want to two hand touch the _single_ ones!"

"You keep your hands to yourself," Ian growled – _mostly_ in fun – "Especially with my mom, or I'll put a snowball down your pants that will shrivel you until your Senior year."

River smiled, and held his hands up in mock surrender, and Jack tossed the ball to Teal'c.

"We'll play to 21, or until we get cold, or until Nate and Maggie have to leave. You guys kick off – and watch out for the yellow snow."

The snow was deep enough that dog poop shouldn't be a problem, although the dogs themselves would definitely make things interesting.

They set up the touchdown markers on either end of the yard, and then Sam threw the ball to the other team – instead of kicking, which was far harder to control – and the game was begun.

OOOOOOOO

Running in deep snow while being chased by seven people isn't easy. Running in snow while being chased by seven people and four dogs who have absolutely no idea _why_ they're chasing you and don't understand that two hand touch below the waist doesn't mean jump on you and trip you up so everyone else can catch you is even harder. As everyone found out in the next hour and a half.

It wasn't really football... It was more 'keep running until the dogs manage to drag you down so that the others can do a dog pile on you'. Unless you were Sam. Because Jaffer wouldn't chase Sam, and he was adept at keeping the other dogs from catching her. Even Teal'c had been pulled down by the combined weight of three full-grown dogs (Jasmine would jump on whoever got knocked down, but she didn't have the weight or the training to pull anyone down on her own). The football was just a prop so the dogs would know who to chase.

And no one even dreamed of putting the dogs in the house so they could actually play a real game.

Cassie and the other females were especially having a good time, since they didn't really have to be all that careful with the guys – who _were_ being careful with them. Teal'c was their favorite target on the other team, because the Jaffa was so darned hard to get down if he had the ball. It made for exciting and fun dog piles – even without the dogs – because Ian and River were almost always part of the pile as well, and it was definitely fun for Cassie (and a few of the others, who weren't quite so willing to admit it) to have one of them piled on or next to them.

By the time Nathan decided that they'd better stop playing so they'd have time to warm up before leaving to catch their plane, the score was still zero to zero, and they were all freezing, or wet, or covered in snow – or all three in most cases. But they had had fun, and that was all that mattered – and because of Jack constantly keeping the rules (what few there actually were) enforced, there weren't any new injuries. Of course, Ian's head was pounding, but he didn't mention that to anyone, and hid it fairly well.

They all trudged into the house, laughing and discussing some big play or the other – or just plain laughing at the continued antics of the dogs – who were just as covered in snow as the people were. Sam had everyone strip off their coats and shoes and boots at the door, and although they were still going to drag a lot of watery mess into the house it wasn't going to be quite so bad this way.

She sent Jack to rebuild the fire in the fireplace, turned up the thermostat and started coffee to brewing and hot water to boiling for those who didn't drink coffee – mainly the younger group.

"Sure you have to leave?" Jack asked Nathan and Maggie, who were sitting on the sofa while Nathan picked snow out of his wife's hair. Ian was sitting beside his mother, with Bubba on the floor between his knees, and the cadet was rubbing the black lab's chest and ears absently.

"Yeah," Nathan said. "We can't miss the plane, or we'll lose the reservation at the hotel in Barbados. Which wouldn't do, since Maggie is meeting a new producer there."

"You're taking Bubba to Barbados?" Ian asked. It was really the first time he'd directly addressed his father the entire time they'd been there, although no one probably noticed.

Nathan shook his head.

"We're going to put him on a flight back home right before ours leaves. Ian Piper will pick him up and watch him until we get back. He was going to be watching him today, too, but-"

"But your father decided that since we were coming out, Bubba might as well come, too," Maggie said, smiling at Ian. "We were pretty sure he'd enjoy a chance to see you – and vice versa."

Ian looked at his dad, surprised. He'd assumed it was his mother's idea to bring his dog out – it wasn't something he'd have given his dad credit for considering.

"Thanks."

Nathan looked about as uncomfortable as Ian did – and far more uncomfortable than Jack had seen him a long time.

"It wasn't any big deal, son."

Maggie's smile grew.

"He says that now, but you should have _seen_ the tantrum he threw when they told him Bubba was going to have to be in a traveling cage in the cargo area. Told them what they could do with their regulations and what they could do with their airline – and then told them that Bubba was a seeing eye dog and that if they didn't let him on as such, he'd go straight to the president of the Airlines with a suit against handicapped people."

Jack grinned, as Nathan squirmed a little at the retelling of a scene Jack wished he could have seen in person. _He_ knew Nathan's temper, and could just imagine how the man had acted.

"What about the way home?" Ian asked.

"It's already taken care of, son," Nate said – although he refused to tell them what he'd done to get the airlines to keep Bubba in a regular seat when the lab was flying home on his own – and wouldn't let Maggie tell them, either.

They had a cup of coffee to warm themselves, and chatted a little longer while they waited for their clothes and coats to dry a little, but eventually they had to go. They thanked Sam, both of them hugging her warmly, then thanked Jack – although Nathan didn't hug him – and then said goodbye to the others. Maggie pulled Gina aside, and gave her a special hug, promising that she'd send her whatever she wanted from her last performance – all she had to do was let Shawn know, who could let Ian know, who could tell her – as soon as he learned how to use the phone.

Then Ian walked them to the door, his hand resting on Bubba's head as the lab walked beside him. They went out to the front porch, closing the door behind them, and Maggie pulled her son into a warm embrace, which he returned, feeling a pang of loss even though he knew he was going to see her for Christmas break.

"You write to me, do you understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am..."

He let her pull his head down for a kiss, and then turned to his dad, who hesitated and stuck his hand out.

"It was good seeing you, son."

Ian nodded, taking the hand and shaking it.

"I'm glad you came, dad."

Nathan smiled, awkwardly. Nothing those two ever did was done any way _but_ awkwardly, but they were pretty used to it.

"Take care of mom."

"I will."

"I'll take care of _him_, you mean."

Ian smiled.

"Whatever works."

He hugged his mom again, knelt and hugged Bubba tightly, and then watched as the three of them went and got into the rental car (a Ford Explorer that was good for the weather they were driving in). He stood on the front step, barefooted and without a coat on, but he didn't notice the chill as he watched them drive off, and didn't go inside until they turned the far corner and he couldn't see them anymore. Then he sighed, and went back into the house.

"Dude, your mom is _hot_," River said as soon as Ian had closed the door.

Daniel wasn't the only male in the room to nod his agreement, and Ian had to smile.

"Of course she is – she gets that from me."


	40. 40

_Author's note: They never play by the rules, because I'm always changing them as I go along myself :)_

OOOOOOOO

River snorted in amusement, and Shawn turned to Jack.

"We should probably get going, too, Jack. Mom said diner was at five – and that if she had to send out a search party for us, she wasn't going to be happy."

"Sure you don't want some pie?" Sam asked, coming into the living room.

"We _want_ pie," River said, smiling. "But she'll know if we ate – and I for one won't risk that."

"So maybe he's not so stupid after all," Ian said.

River coughed and rubbed the side of his nose – using only his middle finger – and Ian wasn't the only one in the room to smile.

"Don't worry, Hayden," Ian said. "I'll eat your share of pie – and Shawn's, too."

Sam laughed and went into the kitchen with the three, handing them their coats while they put their still mostly damp shoes on.

"You drive safely," Jack told River as he pulled Shawn into a quick hug, and then did the same with Gina. "And you keep these two out of trouble, missy."

Gina grinned, hugging Jack and then Sam tightly and taking Jasmine from Sally, who was cuddling her.

"I will, Jack. It was good seeing all of you – and it was nice meeting you, Ian."

Ian nodded, reaching out and rubbing Jasmine's ears.

"Make sure you tell Shawn what you want from my mom, so I can have her send it to you – and make sure you really ask for good stuff, like the posters and pictures."

Gina smiled and nodded.

"Thank you."

He shrugged; it wasn't like he'd done anything, really.

"We'll see you tomorrow, probably, Sam," Shawn said, taking his coat from her and putting it on. "If not, then definitely Saturday – depending on what dad has planned."

"We'll be here – probably."

"We'll call." Shawn promised. He went over and said good-bye to the others, while River said good-bye to Sam and Jack, telling them he'd see them soon, too.

"If Brooks gives you any trouble, call me and I'll come take him down a few notches."

Sam smiled, and gave River a hug, while Ian flipped River off behind her back.

"We'll keep that in mind."

Jack walked them out, and Ian caught Sam's hand before she could leave the kitchen, holding her back for just a moment. His dark eyes were serious when she turned to see what he needed.

"Thanks for inviting my folks, Sam..."

She smiled, and nodded.

"I thought it'd be a nice surprise – although when it started snowing last night, I was a little worried they wouldn't make it."

"I'm glad they did."

"Me, too, Ian. You probably-"

"All right!" Jack came into the dining room, waving the others over. "Let's have dessert!"

There was nothing like a rousing game of football to renew your appetite, and Ian wasn't the only one to greet that statement with a positive noise as the others came and sat back down at the table.

Janet helped Sam pull out the desserts – which was everything from pumpkin, apple, and cherry pies, brownies, cake, and ice cream to an odd contraption that Daniel had brought, telling the others it was a traditional South American dish that was frequently used to celebrate all sorts of occasions. Of course, he could have told them that it was a traditional Arizona pig farmer's fertility meal, since no one knew enough to challenge him.

He forced everyone to try it, though, and for the most part, they said it wasn't too bad – although Ian didn't like the texture and Jack said it tasted like someone had boiled shoes in the crusty part.

The rest of the desserts were far more appealing and satisfying, and once again, Ian proved that he was not shy about calories.

"You do realize you just ate an entire pumpkin pie, right?" Jacob asked him.

"I did not."

"Yes, you did." Sam's dad pointed to the pie pan – which was echoingly empty.

"Cassandra had a slice."

"She had a slice from that one," Janet said, smiling.

"Teal'c –"

"Ate the apple pie," Jack said. "And a half gallon of ice cream."

"I'm a growing boy," Ian told them, unable to come up with anything better.

"Keep eating like that, and you're going to grow right out of this planet," Jacob said, making no effort to hide his amusement. He'd known Ian long enough that he didn't need to.

Sam smiled.

"Just for that, dad, you can help Jack do the dishes."

"What?"

"Hey..."

Ian snickered.

"We cooked. Ian and Cassie cleared the table," Cassie sent Jack a gloating look. "And Daniel and Sally and Teal'c are guests."

"_I'm_ a guest," Jacob said.

"You're _family_. Family are never guests."

"I think I hear George calling me..."

"Nice try."

Sam looked at Ian and Cassie.

"You guys mind clearing the dishes again?"

"Not at all," Cassie said, reaching for the saucers that were closest as she stood up.

Ian shook his head, too.

"I'll even start the water for the dishes for you, Jack – since I'm such a great guy and all."

Jack scowled, and wondered how mad Sam would be if Ian ended up back out in a snow bank – naked.


	41. 41

_Author's Note: Hey all, I started something new and I'd like you to take a look at it when you have a chance. Look in my FFNET profile to see what I'm talking about – and IM or Email me if you have any questions. Everyone must know my email by now; I think I've sent letters of one sort or another off to most of you! Well, that said, on with the story!_

OOOOOOOOO

"You know..." Jacob said, looking down at the dish he washing – the millionth dish plus one, as far as he was concerned. "I _am_ her father..."

Jack looked over at him, drying a plate.

"Yeah? So?"

"She's _supposed_ to do what I say, isn't she? Something about honor your father and mother... or something...?"

"I think I read that somewhere..." Jack said, an amused gleam in his warm brown eyes. "What's your point?"

"Well..." Jacob rinsed the plate he had finished washing and handed it to Jack. "If I told her to let me stop doing dishes, she'd pretty much _have_ to, wouldn't she?"

Jack shook his head.

"You can give it a try, Jacob, but I have a feeling that if you tried to pull a stunt like that, she'd just find more for you to do – like laundry or cleaning the toilet or something."

The Tok'ra frowned, then picked up the next dish from the steadily declining stack with a sigh. "You're probably right."

He washed the dish, and then brightened a little.

"We both outrank her."

"Not 'we'," Jack told him. "Unless you're talking about Selmac. You keep me out of this."

Jacob sighed.

"Look on the bright side," Jack said, stacking the now dry plate on the others they'd already washed.

"Yeah?"

"Once we're done doing these, we probably _won't_ have to do anything else for the rest of the weekend."

"I'm leaving tonight, Jack."

"Well, I'll look on the bright side for both of us, then."

Jacob gave him a sour look, and handed him yet another clean dish to dry.

The dishes really _weren't_ all that hard. With the help of Sally and Janet, Sam had planned ahead and had used many disposable dishes for her cooking. The turkey pan – which should have been the absolute worst of the dishes – had already been tossed in the trash with several containers that had brought food over to the house. Ian and Cassie had done a very thorough job of clearing out the serving dishes so there were no real messes to clean, and the hot soapy water the cadet had made was doing most of the work for them.

It was just more entertaining to complain.

Besides, everyone else had gone into the living room to sit around and watch Miracle on 34th Street, and Jacob and Jack had to have something to mope and pout about.

"Now I know how Cinderella felt," Jacob muttered.

"Corset too tight?"

Jacob snickered.

"Hey," Came a cheery voice from behind them. "Look what I found."

They both looked over their shoulders and saw Daniel walking into the kitchen, a small stack of saucers in his hands.

"Joy."

"I can't imagine how they were over-looked," the archeologist said, grinning broadly. "It's a lucky thing a _guest_ just happened by and spotted them sitting on that chair..."

"Yeah, _lucky_..." Jacob said, gloomily, as Daniel set the stack on the counter next to his other stack.

"Sally..."

"Yes, Jack?"

"Call Daniel before I'm forced to feed him his glasses."

"Daniel, are you bothering them?" Sam asked from the living room.

"_Yes_," Jacob answered.

"Of course not, Sam," Daniel said, just as quickly.

"Get out of there before you end up joining them."

"You missed a spot," Daniel told Jacob, pointing at the dish he was washing as he turned and headed for the kitchen entrance. A wet and very soapy washcloth hit him in the back of the head before he'd made it three steps. Grinning – because how often does anyone get the chance to pester a General and a Colonel in one easy step – Daniel tossed the washcloth back to Jacob and went back into the living room, just in time to see the drunken Santa getting the boot.

Sam looked up from where she was lounging in the overstuffed (and slightly chewed up) easy chair. She was sitting there, Teal'c and Sally and Janet had the couch, and Ian was sprawled with Jaffer in front of the fire, while Cassie was stretched out next to Jack (the dog) who was definitely enjoying the girl's attentions as Cassie idly rubbed his belly while she alternated between watching Ian and watching the movie.

"How are they doing?"

"Oh, they're _happy_ as can be..."

"Uh huh..."

Daniel sat down on the floor by Sally's feet, leaning back against her legs so he wouldn't be in the way, and smiled when she started running her fingers lightly through his hair. He loved it when she did that, and could understand exactly how Jack (the dog) felt just then.

"Well, they're not breaking things to avoid washing them, at least," Daniel said. That had been one of his favorite tricks when he'd been little – if a dish was broken, you'd have a lot of trouble washing it, now wouldn't you?

"That's a plus."

"You want me to go make sure they're not goofing off, Sam?" Ian offered, his dark eyes gleaming with mischievousness. Sam decided she liked that expression on him – it was a lot better than the serious ones, or the bleak ones that she'd seen before – although she might just enjoy the way his smile lit his eyes up.

"I think that would be a bad idea, Ian..."

"I could be _diplomatic_..."

"Oh yeah?" This she had to hear. "In that case, be my guest."

Ian rolled to his feet, stepping over Jaffer, then Jack, and then Cassie and Sam (and everyone else) watched as he walked to the dining room and then disappeared into the kitchen.

There was no mistaking the empirical tone in his voice when they heard him speak next.

"You're working too slowly, and Sam's sent me in to make sure the dishes are done before the mail man arrives with my pension check."

There was the sound of scuffling, a few wet noises, and then a yelp from Ian, muffled a bit by something.

"_Sam_! They've got me! Help!"


	42. 42

By the time Sam had even managed to make it to her feet, she saw her father and Jack both heading for the sliding glass door, a struggling Ian caught between them.

"Come on, guys," he was saying, smoothly. "Let's be reasonable..."

"Yeah?" Jack asked.

"It's not _my_ fault you're slow. You're _old_, it happe-"

"Get the door Jack," Jacob interrupted.

"Sam!" Ian yelped, wriggling helplessly in Jacob's grasp while Jack opened the door. "They're picking on me! Sam, make the old men sto-"

The voice cut off as the door closed behind the three and Sam and the others moved just a bit so they could watch what was happening. Just in time to see Jacob toss Ian off the deck somewhere off to the side – into bushes, Sam knew. Then he and Jack dashed back inside, closing and locking the sliding glass door behind them, and drawing the curtain so Ian couldn't even look inside.

Jack saw Sam standing at the entrance of the dining room, and gave her his best innocent look.

"Um... I was just..."

"Taking out the trash," Jacob said, grinning as he walked past, back into the kitchen. He was immune to Sam's glare – he'd changed her diapers, after all.

"You didn't hurt him, did you?" Sam asked. "You know he's got that cut on his hea-"

"He's fine, Sam," Jack assured her with a smile. Like he'd ever actually hurt Ian on purpose. "The bushes caught his fall."

He headed into the kitchen as well, and Sam shrugged and went back into the dining room with the others and sat back down to watch the show. Jack knew best what someone like Ian could take – hadn't he said he was a lot like him?

OOOOOOOO

Being thrown into the bushes could be a bad thing – if it was summer time, and the bushes had thorns on them. You could get scratched, and stabbed with little sharp twigs and all sorts of things like that. Being throw into the bushes when there was 18 inches of snow protecting you from any thorns or little small twigs was hardly deadly. Of course, being thrown into those same bushes – and that same snow – wearing only jeans and a t-shirt wasn't exactly pleasant. Especially when you ended up with all of that snow going down your shirt or into your pants. That was hardly fun.

Of course, as he tumbled out of the bushes to land in his face in what was probably the only untrampled area of snow in the back yard – meaning he actually sank 18 inches into the soft snow – Ian was pretty much aware that he'd deserved what he'd gotten. It was just so much fun to mess with O'Neill like that – and add in Jacob Carter to the mix, and it was that much better. Who'd have thought the retired General was so strong, though? He'd actually done most of the lifting when they'd tossed him over the deck's rail, after all.

Ian lay in the snow a full 30 seconds, grinning to himself. He was seriously having the time of his life with Sam and Jack, and even being booted so forcefully from the house was a measure of how much fun he was having. It was so much better than he'd have expected. He would have probably moped around the academy – probably would have found someone to pick a fight with and ended up in trouble – and instead he was with friends, and enjoying himself immensely. He...

He was going to have to get up, because the snow was definitely freezing bits and pieces that he was going to want to keep. A snow bank is not the place for introspection.

Ian rolled over and sat up, looking over at the sliding glass door. It was firmly closed – no doubt locked – and the curtain was drawn. Yeah, well, there was always the front door. He got to his feet, running his hand along the stitches in his head. Not that they hurt all that much – a little maybe, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle – he just wanted to make sure he hadn't torn them, and wasn't bleeding. He knew that would worry Sam and he didn't want that. Satisfied when his hand didn't come away bloody, the cadet walked around the house, hopping the chain link fence that separated the front yard from the back, and headed for the front door.

OOOOOOOOOO

Sam couldn't help but smile when he came through the front door. Yeah, he looked cold – he wasn't wearing all that much, after all – but he didn't look at all chastised by his rough treatment, and the hand behind his back as he came into the house boded ill of things to come for Jack and Jacob. Of course, Sam couldn't really let them have a snow fight in the house...

"If that's snow in your hand, you're going to be joining them."

The look he gave her was his best attempt so far at an innocent look – and still it was a lousy one.

"Would I bring snow into your house, Sam?"

"It looks like you have about a pound of it in your hair," Janet commented.

Ian nodded, and walked into the living room, his hand still out of sight – although Cassie could see that there was something in it when he walked past her.

"It's pretty snowy out there..." he said, innocently. "Yup... pretty snowy..." They watched as he walked into the dining room and Sam shook her head, wondering what he had planned now but figuring that if it didn't kill him – or Jack and Jacob didn't – he could always clean up the mess.

Ian vanished into the kitchen and out of sight, but a minute later she heard a yelp – from Jack, and right on the heels of that one, there was one from Jacob.

"_Hey_!"

"You little-"

Ian came rushing out of the dining room, and ran down the hall.

"Ian!"

Jack came out of the kitchen, fumbling in his pants and looking around.

"Which-"

Everyone in the room pointed down the hall.

"I'm going to kill him."

Jack vanished after Ian, and Jacob came into the room, disgruntled amusement in his expression.

"What did he do?" Daniel asked, curiously.

Jacob shook his head.

"My dignity won't allow me to share that information. Let's just say it has something to do with icicles and leave it at that."

There was a yelp from Sam's workroom – definitely an Ian yelp.

"I got him, Jacob, bring in the hounds!"

"Do you have hounds?" Jacob asked Sam.

"We have _Jaffer_... and Teal'c would probably loan me Jack..."

Jacob's eyes were as cheerful as Sam could ever remember them being, and he slapped his thigh as he headed down the hall.

"Come on, Jaffer, here, Jack!"

The labs scrambled to their feet and followed the Tok'ra, and a minute later there was another crash, and another yelp, this time quite plain.

"I give! I give!"

Jack came down the hall, looking smug, with Jaffer and Jack (the dog) beside him, and a second later Jacob came out as well. Sam watched, but Ian wasn't following them.

"Where's Ian?"

"He'll be along shortly..."

"He's okay, isn't he?" Janet asked. She didn't think all the running around was all that healthy for the boy – after all, he'd almost been scalped just that morning.

Jacob nodded.

"He's fine. We've just taught him the error of his ways..."

For some reason, Sam didn't buy that for a second. Probably he was back there just regrouping – or catching his breath.


	43. 43

_Author's Note: Don't worry about Sam; she's enjoying herself just as much as the boys are – she's used to worrying about Jack, so there's no new stress._

OOOOO

It took a while for Ian to make his appearance, and when he did, he was dressed in a dry pair of jeans, socks, and his damp and now grubby sweatshirt. He came down to the end of the hall, looking around the corner – presumably to make sure that Jacob and Jack were back in the kitchen. Sam smiled, and then watched as he came over and sat back down in front of the fireplace once more.

"Are you cold, Ian?" Sam asked.

His hair was damp and he looked a little flushed – but that was probably just from coming from the outside back inside.

He shook his head.

"I'm out of shirts."

Big shock there, Sam thought wryly. He was going through them left and right – and a wet sweatshirt was a lot warmer than a wet t-shirt.

"Jack?"

"Yeah, Sam?"

She stood up and walked over to stand over Ian.

"Arms up."

He looked up at her, and saw the amused look in her blue eyes. Sighing, since he knew he absolutely wouldn't be able to argue with her, he lifted his arms and let her pull his wet sweatshirt off, as Jack walked into the dining room to see what she needed.

"Ian needs a clean shirt."

Jack nodded and headed down the hall, and Sam tossed Ian's sweatshirt over the back of her chair.

"We'll do some laundry tonight, okay?" She told him.

Ian nodded, and leaned back a little – the fire was warming him nicely, and that was even worth being stripped in front of everyone. Besides, he was ripped and he knew it.

"Thanks, Sam."

She sat back down as Jack came down the hall, carrying a dark blue polo shirt. He tossed it to Ian, who caught it easily.

"Don't get it stinky."

"If it's yours, it's already stinky," Ian said, pulling on the shirt.

Cassie laughed, and Jack scowled at her.

"That's enough out of you missy."

"Mom... Jack's threatening me..."

"Jack... I have big needles..."

"I have dishes to dry."

He vanished back into the kitchen, much to the amusement of the others – although they were all used to Janet threatening them – and most of them had been on the receiving end of those threats, as well.

Ian leaned back against Sam's chair, more than content to sit quietly and watch the movie for a while. Besides, he was running out of jeans, too, and if he antagonized Jack, he'd probably find himself back out in the snow – and he wasn't all that sure Sam wouldn't strip him out of his jeans, too. She was a formidable woman.

OOOOOOOO

The rest of the afternoon was relatively quiet. Jack and Jacob finished the dishes and came out and joined the rest of them, Jack pulling Sam out of her chair and taking it and then pulling her down in his lap. Jacob found space on the couch, and it was a satisfied group that watched the last of Miracle on 34th street. All except for Cassie, who eventually ended up falling asleep, cuddled up next to Jack (the dog). It had been a long day, after all, and she was stuffed full of turkey and warm and Jack was the most comfortable cuddlemate she could hope for – well, except maybe Ian, and that wasn't an option, at least at the moment.

"I think we're going to head home," Janet said when the movie was over. She hadn't missed Cassie drifting off, and she was feeling a little tired, too. "I think I need a nap."

"Ian, wake Cassie up," Jack said. The cadet was closer than anyone. "Don't poke her."

Sam smiled as Ian leaned over Jaffer and then Jack, reaching out a hand and shaking Cassie's shoulder gently, while Janet and the others all stood up. It _had_ been a long day, and even if they weren't tired, Sam probably was.

"Cassandra?"

She opened her eyes, sleepily, staring first at Jack's blonde fur, and then over the lab towards Ian.

"Hmm?"

He smiled at her confusion.

"It's time to wake up."

Janet crouched down next to Cassie.

"Come on, Cass. Let's get going."

Teal'c pulled Cassie to her feet easily, and she stretched, sleepily, not quite awake just yet.

"What time is it?"

"7:30."

"Already?"

"Time flies when you're sound asleep," Jack said, wisely, mocking her just a little. He went to gather everyone's coats while they put their shoes on, and there was a lot of bustling as everyone said their goodbyes.

"We'll be by first thing in the morning, Sam," Janet said as she put her coat on.

"I will, too," Sally said. "I can't wait to do some heavy shopping."

Sam nodded.

"Are you coming shopping with us, Jack?" Cassie asked.

Since he'd rather have all his body hair plucked out by tweezers one at a time, Jack forced a smile.

"No, I'm going to stay home and..."

"Take some Geritol," Ian supplied.

Cassie giggled, and Ian wisely took a step back – out of Jack's reach.

Jacob grinned as well, and grabbed Ian in a rough hug.

"It was good seeing you, Ian."

"You, too, Jacob."

"Be good, okay?"

"Of course!"

Jacob snorted, and moved over to say goodbye to Sam, while the others said their goodbyes to Ian and Jack.

Eventually the house emptied, and it was with a big sigh that Sam sat down on the couch, closing her eyes. Jack was beside her in an instant, his brown eyes worried.

"Are you all right?"

She smiled and nodded, but didn't open her eyes.

"I'm fine, Jack. Just ready for a nap."

He scooped her up into his arms, and Ian moved the coffee table out of the way so Jack didn't have to worry about tripping over it.

"A nap is a good idea, Sam," Jack said. "Ian, you're in charge of the house."

Well... joy.

He grinned.

"I'll try not to burn it down..."

"You do that," Jack said, heading for the hall – and their bedroom.


	44. 44

"You know, you don't really have to come to bed with me..." Sam told Jack sleepily as he deposited her a few moments later on their bed. "If you're not tired, stay up and-"

He cut her off with a soft kiss, and pulled the blankets back.

"I'm ready for a nap, Sam," he said, smiling as he pulled off his jeans and slipped into a pair of shorts – she was dressed in slacks made of a soft enough fabric that they wouldn't chafe her while she slept, but denim wasn't the thing to sleep in if you could avoid it. "I've been chasing that kid all day, after all."

She smiled, rolling over and watching him change. If she wasn't so sleepy, she might have told him not to bother with the clothes at all.

"He's certainly a different person when you get past that tough exterior, isn't he?"

Jack nodded, and slid under the covers, pulling her up against him so he could cuddle her.

"There's something wrong, though..."

"You saw it, too?" Sam asked. She shouldn't be surprised, she realized; Jack was far more observant than he led on – and far more intelligent than he let people think he was. She'd noticed the haunted looks that would cloud Ian's expression when he didn't think anyone was watching – why wouldn't Jack have noticed them as well?

"Yeah... something's bothering him."

"You didn't ask him what it was?" She asked.

"Did you?" He countered, gently.

She shook her head. She'd almost done just that, earlier, but had held back, not wanting to seem like she was pressuring him.

"I didn't want to be nosy..."

Jack smiled, and tucked her head under his chin.

"If I get an opening, I'll ask him about it, okay?"

She nodded, and slid her arm around him, her fingers idly sliding up under his shirt to caress his side. She dozed off only moments later, and Jack was only a little behind her.

OOOOOOOO

Ian watched as Jack and Sam disappeared down the hall and turned to Jaffer, who showed no inclination to follow them. The lab was warm and comfortable sprawled in front of the waning fire, and he wasn't ready for bed just yet.

"You don't have to stay up," Ian told him. "I don't have to have company..."

Jaffer's tail was the only part of him that moved, but it wagged cheerfully enough that the cadet smiled. Since the lab didn't show any signs of needing to go out, Ian flopped down on the couch and picked up the remote. He wasn't all that tired – and even if he was tired, he had absolutely no intention of going to bed just then. He debated going for a run – that coupled with having Jack chasing him all day might wear him down enough that he might actually sleep soundly – but he didn't want to jog in the dark in an unfamiliar neighborhood with half the sidewalks covered in ice. That would pretty much be asking for a nasty fall.

Remembering that he didn't have anything to wear the next day, Ian rolled off the couch and headed into 'his' room. He grabbed up all the clothes he'd worn – how had he gone through so many? – and carried them to the laundry room, which was off the kitchen. Far enough away that if he ran a load of clothes, he wouldn't disturb Sam and Jack. He started a load of clothes, and then stopped at the fridge, opening it up and looking for something to snack on. He wasn't starving or anything, but would never say no to a snack.

Jaffer was beside him in an instant, his big head in the fridge as well; looking to see what Ian was going to share with him. For himself, Ian snagged more pie. For Jaffer, he pulled out a few pieces of ham and turkey. Putting it all on a plate, he carried it into the living room and settled in to watch the last of the evening football games – there was always a college game on during the Thanksgiving holiday – and even if he didn't care for either team playing, it was as good a distraction as any.

OOOOOOOOOO

Two football games, three trips to the fridge and a couple of trips outside for Jaffer later, it was after midnight, and still Ian didn't feel like going to bed. He was getting tired, though, and needed more of a distraction than a rerun of a game that had played earlier. Disgusted with himself for being afraid to go to bed, he went into the bedroom just long enough to grab up the textbook he'd brought with him – figuring that eventually he'd have some downtime and might want to do a little reading. He carried it out to the dining room, though, deciding that if he read in bed, he'd fall asleep.

He poured himself a glass of milk and put his clothes from the washer to the dryer – he'd almost forgotten completely about them – and then he started reading.

OOOOOOOO

"You're up late."

He jerked his head up from the book only half an hour later, and saw that Sam had joined him. She gave him an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"It's okay."

She came over and looked over his shoulder.

"What are you reading?"

Ian handed the book to her without marking his place – he knew where he was.

"'Advanced theoretical mathematics, book 2'", Sam read. She looked at him. "You're not taking this class, are you?"

He shook his head.

"I might next year, though."

"So you thought you'd get a jump on it?"

He shook his head, giving her a slight smile.

"I thought I'd read the book and decide if it was interesting enough to take."

She handed him the book back.

"Is it?"

"I'm not sure. I'll probably take the class, anyways, just for the hell of it."

Not a lot of students took such an advanced class 'just for the hell of it'. It was a reminder to Sam just how intelligent he was. She smiled.

"It's a good class to take if you want a grounding in any of the advanced sciences."

"Yeah, I know. I read the prerequisites for the physics classes – the advanced and the Astrophysics – and saw it on the list."

"You're thinking about Astrophysics?" Sam asked.

He shrugged.

"It's good enough for you..."

Sam smiled.

"You just don't have a clue what you want to do with your life, do you Ian?"

He blushed slightly, and shook his head.

"Nothing interests me, Sam," he told her, honestly. "I'd take Medical studies – but I hate sick people, and I probably _don't_ have the best bedside manner. I'm taking Mathematics – but I'm not sure what to do with them once I have them down – it's not like there's a huge demand for number crunchers, when a computer can do that just as easily. Physics is a breeze, but I have to take it, Biology is the same, and I could sleep through my other classes if it didn't mean running laps if I got caught."

She didn't say anything, figuring there was more on his mind, and a moment later he sighed, and pushed the book away.

"Hayden wants to be a pilot. He's absolutely ape-shit over flying, and knows exactly what he wants to do and how he's going to achieve that goal. Jesus, Shawn's all of fourteen and even he knows exactly what he's going to do with his life. I'm nineteen and I don't have the foggiest idea of what I want to do."

"And you think that's unusual?" Sam asked.

"It's not?"

She shook her head.

"I didn't know what I wanted to Major in until my Junior year, Ian. And then I had to work my butt off because I'd waited so long to decide. From what he tells me, Jack was even worse."

"Really?"

She nodded.

"You have all the time in the world, you know. There's a lot to choose from – and more fields opening up every day. Who knows? By the time you're ready to choose, there might be just the career waiting for you."

"I doubt it."

He looked gloomy, but Sam realized it wasn't the same bleak look that she and Jack had discussed – which told her that while this was a problem he'd been mulling over, it wasn't the one that had been bothering him.

"Well, maybe the Academy will come up with different programs – one that might interest you..." She'd have to talk with Hammond or some of the other brass about that. Ian was way too smart to be allowed to flounder for long. "I'll talk to the Commandant about it."

He shook his head.

"I don't-"

"I do." Sam smiled, "It's not a bad idea, actually. I'll see what they say – although it might not be for a few months, who knows? Nothing ever happens quickly in the Air Force."

"I've noticed."

She laughed.

"I'm going to go back to bed. Don't stay up too late, or you're going to be grumpy in the morning."

"Yes, Ma'am."

She slapped his shoulder in silent admonishment and headed back down the hallway, this time with Jaffer close behind her.

Ian sighed, and picked up the book again, then set it down on the table and stood up. Maybe he was tired enough to sleep without dreams...


	45. 45

Author's Note: Ian doesn't know everything that goes on at the SGC, yet, so bear that in mind. He hasn't seen the Stargate for instance, and he doesn't know about the space traveling stuff. He just knows it's a secret base with a lot of new technology. (Of the three roommates, Shawn's the only one who knows about the gate and what it does.)

OOOOOOO

_He was barely asleep when the attack came. Only it wasn't the same kind of attack that he'd become familiar with. One moment he was drifting off, just on the other side of being asleep, and the next minute he felt what could only be called a Presence with him. Of course, the only kind of invisible people he knew of were the ones that chased him pretty much every night through his nightmares, so Ian understandably thought it was just a new kind of trick – and struggled to wake up as soon as he became aware that he wasn't alone._

_The Presence took hold of him, though, and held him – physically and mentally – but before Ian could really start to panic under this assault, he felt washed in a warmth that was almost like the sensation of peeing the bed, only completely surrounding him, riddled through with love and caring that was beyond anything he'd ever felt before._

_"_Easy_..."_

_The voice was deep – masculine – and compassionate enough that Ian knew there was no malice in it. Another thing to separate it from his nightmares. But it still held him so tightly that he couldn't force himself awake – and that was scary._

_"_I need you asleep right now, Ian. Try to be calm. I'm _not_ going to hurt you."

_"_Yeah...?" _He couldn't help the sarcasm in his voice. "_Why doesn't that make me feel any better?"

_He struggled, again, but there was no give in the grip that it had on him._

"Easy..."

_"_Stop _saying_ that!"

_He was scared – and that translated into anger._

_The Presence soothed him once more, sending reassurance coursing through him. Ian felt it, but he couldn't help but think it was a trick – and he resisted as much as he could. He'd had too many invisible visitors lately to be soothed._

_"_You need to listen to me_," The voice told him._

_"_You need to let me go_," he countered._

_"_When I've finished _–"_

_"_Finished?" _He struggled again, stubbornly. "_Finished what? Chasing me? Shooting me? Terrorizing-"

_"_Stop_."_

_The Presence gave him a mental slap – it didn't hurt, but it cut off his tirade in mid-sentence._

_"_These nightmares of yours are becoming a problem_..."_

_"_No shit_." He didn't even ask how whatever it was knew he was having nightmares. He was pretty much convinced that he was somehow having the conversation with his superego – although he hadn't quite figured out how he was forcing himself to hold still. "You_ try living through them every fucking night_..."_

_There was compassion in the voice when it spoke next, and Ian thought that maybe it understood how he felt – had maybe seen the nightmares and knew what they were doing to him. But he held back from it, not allowing it to get too close, holding himself aloof._

_"_I can keep you from having them_ –"_

_"_Then do it!"

_"_Only _here_... where I can reach you easily_."_

_"_Here? In my mind? Or in_-"_

_"_In this house_."_

_Ian frowned, realizing that something wasn't right – of course, he was having a conversation with himself, and how right could that be? – but he caught the qualifier._

_"_What are you_?"_

_"_I can't tell you_."_

_"_Why_?"_

_"_Because_."_

"Oh, well that's a great answer. Thanks for all the fucking help..."

_Okay, he needed to wake up. This dream was just getting weirder and weirder and he was ready to leave._

"You need to tell someone about them. It's not as bad as you think it-"

_"_It's pretty fucking bad!_" He shouted. "_Don't you _get _it_?"_

_Again he felt that reassurance, and compassion, and again he longed for it, but held himself away from it. He wasn't able to trust anything he couldn't see – invisible was the same as terrifying as far as Ian was concerned – even if it came cloaked in loving care._

_"_You can trust me_."_

_"_You won't even tell me who you are_."_

"I can't."

_"_If you're not going to chase me, then let me go_..."_

_There was a sigh in his head – a purely mental sigh that held about as much frustration as Ian had ever heard. Then he heard a feminine voice in his head as well, joining the male._

_"_Let him go_..."_

_"_But_-"_

_"_He's too afraid to listen, and you're only frightening him more by holding him so_-"_

_"_I'm not frightened_," Ian interrupted. Of course, he was, but they didn't need to know that._

_There was a moment when he felt true amusement – from the male and the female – and then suddenly he felt himself being released from whatever had him, and he jerked himself awake, rolling completely out of his bed with the action and falling hard on the floor with a soft thump._

Looking around wildly, Ian didn't feel any of the panic he normally felt after a nightmare, and realized that whatever the hell that had been, it wasn't exactly the same as his usual run of the mill nightmare.

He staggered to his feet and turned on the light, then went over and sat on one of the stools by the work table that Sam's doohickeys were all neatly stacked on, and he buried his head in his hands, his mind going back through the conversation he'd just had over and over.

What the _hell_ had that been all about?


	46. 46

Ian sighed, tiredly and looked at his watch.

3:30.

Yeah, he might as well get up; because there was no way in hell he was going to close his eyes again that night. He'd been sitting at Sam's table for over two hours, running his mind through the odd dream he'd had. Not a nightmare – although it had been frightening to be held so tightly, he hadn't actually been threatened or anything, and hadn't felt any fear but that which he'd generated on his own.

What _had_ that voice been? He wondered as he opened the door to 'his' room and headed silently down the hall in bare feet and stopped in the bathroom. As near as he could tell, he'd made it up – how many disembodied voices were there running around going through peoples heads, after all? It could have been a manifestation of his own choosing. A way for his subconscious mind to pop up and say '_hey, I'm here and you really need to get your shit together_!'. Or it could simply have been his imagination – although he was pretty sure he'd never imagined anything like that before. Whatever it was, it'd been damned strange, that was for sure.

He rubbed his face, tiredly, and went to the dryer to get his clothes out. As he started folding shirts at the dining room table, he thought about the female voice he'd heard. _That_ had been odd. The voice had a maturity to it that he hadn't really understood – if he was going to dream about women it was usually a given he was going to dream about young women. _Naked_ young women. He snorted, derailing that particular train of thought fairly quickly. Not that there weren't a lot of good looking and very fit young women at the academy to dream about, but he hadn't been – and it definitely needed to stay that way.

"What are you doing up so early?"

He looked over from his pile of shirts and saw Jack standing at the entrance to the dining room – almost in the same position that Sam had been in the night before.

"Folding clothes."

"At 3:00 in the morning?"

"It's 3:30."

"Same thing."

Ian shrugged.

"I couldn't sleep, and I thought I'd better get it done – in case Sam needed the washer and dryer."

Jack yawned and came over and sat down, pulling one of the shirts towards him and looking at it.

"Sam's going shopping with the girls. She's not going to need to do laundry any time soon."

Ian shrugged, and took his shirt from Jack so he could fold it.

"You can sort my socks if you're bored."

"Have you had breakfast?" Jack asked, ignoring the suggestion adroitly.

Ian shook his head.

"It's pretty early to eat, isn't it?"

"Janet and them should be here by four."

"Really? That early?"

"Apparently all the _good_ sales are for early birds, so you have to be there when the doors open – or else you miss out."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Not a shopper?"

"Not if I can avoid it."

"Good. You can come find a Christmas tree with me and Daniel."

"You're going Christmas tree hunting?"

"_We're_ going Christmas tree hunting," Jack said, standing up and heading into the kitchen. "I have a friend who owns a large amount of land up in the mountains – they're the ones who gave me Jaffer, by the way, so they're _very_ good friends – and they've given me permission to find the perfect tree for Sam and to chop it down and bring it home."

"Oh."

"So, Daniel wants one, too – for Sally's house – and he's going to come along. We can always use help choosing the right tree. _Unless_ you'd rather go shopping."

"I'll go tree hunting."

Jack smiled.

"I thought you'd see things my way."

He started digging through the cupboards.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"You're cooking?"

"You're going to help."

"I'll have water."

"Smart ass."

OOOOOO

The coffee was done, the laundry was folded and set off to the side of the table, and house was filled with the smell of frying bacon and eggs by the time Sam made her appearance, with Jaffer walking cheerfully with her. She looked sleepy and rumpled, and she paused only long enough to give Jack a good morning kiss and to run a hand along Ian's shoulder in greeting before she sat down at the table, and yawned.

Jack came over with a cup of coffee, and kissed her neck gently as he set it in front of her.

"Good morning."

Mumble.

Ian smiled.

"Are you hungry, Sam?"

Mumble and nod.

Ian looked over at Jack, who was letting Jaffer out for a morning run around the back yard.

"That means _yes_."

"We're just finishing the toast now."

Mumble.

He looked at Jack, again, but O'Neill shrugged. He wasn't sure about that one.

They brought breakfast over a few minutes later, and Sam had taken enough sips of her coffee to be able to focus a little better. She looked over at Ian, noticing that he didn't look as if he'd slept at all. Before she could mention it, though – and maybe ask him how he was doing, Jaffer came running into the dining room, sniffing her with his cold nose and reminding her that he loved bacon and eggs.

"You get_ dog food_ this morning, bucko," Jack admonished the lab, bringing over his dish filled with kibble.

Yeah, yeah... dog food – but bacon and eggs, too, if he looked really cute and cuddly. Jaffer wasn't dumb.

"How long are you going to be shopping, Sam?" Jack asked, as he sat down, handing her over a plate.

She shrugged.

"You'll have to ask Sally and Janet – they're the ones that are mapping out our strategies. I think Cassie and I are just coming along for the ride, more or less." She looked at Ian. "Are you going up to the mountains with Jack and Daniel?"

"Yeah. They need my expertise."

"Oh?"

"Well... no, probably not... but it's that or shop, from what I've been told – and that was hardly a tough choice."

She smiled and took another sip of her coffee.

"You mean you'd rather go out into the cold, hard mountains and search endlessly for a-"

The doorbell rang just then, interrupting her, and Jack went to get it, Jaffer rushing over as well, tail wagging happily.

Suddenly the room was filled with a blast of cold air, and three far too cheerful for this time of day women as Cassie, Janet and Sally all came into the dining room.

"Ready to shop until you drop?" Janet asked, looking at Sam, who frowned.

Ian smiled, and nodded.

"I'll take Christmas tree hunting, any day..."


	47. 47

There were a lot of people out on the roads, but Jack handled the traffic easily – although there were a few times Ian wanted to flip someone off for being too slow, or reach on over and honk Jack's horn for him. The Colonel was a lot more patient than he was, apparently. Of course, driving in Colorado was a lot different than driving in New York, too. People _expected_ to be flipped off and honked at in New York – and sometimes they'd look at you funny if you stopped so they could get into traffic, figuring it was just a way to get behind them so you could do something to them or follow them.

Ian was practically biting his lip to keep from yelling out the window at the folks around him, and was doing a good job suppressing his annoyance – mainly because he wasn't driving. Finally, though, he sighed.

"You know, she'd probably go faster if you tailgated her."

Jack nodded.

"But then I'd be setting a bad example for you, and we couldn't have that, could we?"

"Want _me_ to drive?"

"Not a chance. I want a calm Friday morning, not a wild drive through the streets being chased by everyone you manage to piss off."

Ian smiled. Like he'd do any of that...? Well... _maybe_.

"This isn't some elaborate trick to get me to go shopping with you, is it?" He finally asked. As far as he could tell, they were heading downtown, and from what he knew that was the place to shop. And there weren't any wild trees growing there. Christmas or otherwise.

"Nope. I don't have the courage to try shopping today. We're just going to meet Daniel, and then go get a couple of Christmas trees. Nothing more."

He pulled the truck up to a fairly nice little coffee shop, parking in the rear.

"We're a little early, so we'll wait inside."

That was fine with Ian; he could use something warm to drink. Jack turned the truck off, and the two of them got out, leaving Jaffer in the front of the truck where it would be a lot warmer for him than if Jack had put him in the back. Jack led the way around front, and Ian had a feeling from the easy way he approached the place – almost with anticipation – that he'd been there more than a few times.

That was confirmed when they walked up to the counter and Jack smiled at the girl behind the register with far more familiarity than the cadet had seen him greet anyone else. Of course, it might have been because she was cute. A bit on the short side, but she had beautiful hair – even pulled back into that pony tail – just as dark as Ian's and curly as hell, and pretty green eyes, that warmed when she saw Jack.

"Hey, Jack," the girl said, warmly.

"Hi, Kira. One large coffee for me, and..." He looked over at Ian, who took that as a cue for him to make an order as well. He looked up at the menu, but he wasn't that much of a coffee drinker, so he shrugged.

"I'll have a cup of regular coffee, too."

Jack turned back to Kira.

"Two regular coffees, please."

"And a donut," Ian added. "_Two_ of them."

"You just had breakfast."

"So?"

"Four donuts, and two large coffees."

Ian looked around the place while they waited for the order, while Jack asked the girl behind the counter how her Thanksgiving had been – once again telling Ian that he'd been there more than once or twice. When she walked over to get their coffee, he watched her going, admiring the way she looked in her all black ensemble with a dark green apron tied snugly across her slim waist. Looking around he realized that virtually all the baristas in the place were wearing black, but the girl seemed somehow to stand out more in hers. She was definitely a pleasant sight from behind, but Ian wished she were wearing a skirt so he could see if her legs were as nice as the rest of her.

He turned and saw Jack watching him admire the view, and couldn't help but feel just a little guilty.

"You come here a lot?"

"Daniel practically pays the rent here, himself."

Ian smiled, and took the cup of coffee the girl – Kira – handed him, with a nod of thanks. He set the cup down and reached for his wallet, but Jack pushed his hand away.

"I got this."

"You sure?"

"Yup. You can buy lunch."

He paid the bill, and then dropped a five in the tip jar.

"Thanks, Kira, we're going to hang out while we wait for Daniel."

Jack led them to a table in the corner, and as they sat down, Ian looked over at the girl once more – she was looking his direction as well, but he wasn't sure if that was because he was with Jack, or because she just happened to be looking that way. Of course the guy that had made their drinks was also looking their way, and Ian was fairly certain that the possessive look in his eyes was directed towards him – which made him scowl. Cute girls were one thing; but Ian hated being checked out by guys.

In the meantime, Jack had been trying to decide how best to bring up the subject of Ian's moodiness. He finally just decided that it would be best to just come out with it.

"Sam's worried about you..."

Ian turned his attention from the counter people to Jack, surprised.

"She is?"

Jack nodded.

"Why? Because I don't know what I want to do with my life?"

Jack shook his head. While he knew she was worried about that, too, that wasn't the reason they were there.

"No... she's worried about _you_. You don't seem to be sleeping well. Is everything all right? The bed uncomfortable? Not enough blankets?"

Ian felt a moment of absolute panic. What if they'd guessed he was having nightmares? Would they tell anyone? Shawn? Oh Jesus, Shawn would tell Hayden – who would make his life miserable, teasing him about them. Ian shook his head.

"I'm fine, Jack... I... just don't sleep all that much..."

Jack knew instantly that he was lying – and he knew that he was holding something back. Something rather serious to judge by the way he'd paled so quickly.

"You sure?" Jack pressed, not wanting to, but aware that he'd promised Sam he'd ask. "If something's bothering you, we can get-"

"It's okay, Jack," Ian said, shaking his head again. "I'm fine."

He was closing himself off, Jack knew immediately. And he knew that there was nothing he could do to stop it. It was exactly what Jack, himself, would have done in a similar situation. He sighed, but it was more to himself – and not as frustrated as he felt.

"If you need to talk about it... just remember, I'll listen."

Not about this, Ian knew, wishing he _could_ talk about it. But no. There was no way he could just discuss these invisible guys with Jack. Jack had told him that the guys were some kind of super soldier who'd run off with a new prototype of an invisibility suit the Air Force was working on. Ian knew that was bullshit, but knew that if Jack had wanted Ian to know the truth, he would have told him the truth then.

"Thanks, Jack, I'll keep that in mind..."

"I-"

"Sorry I'm late."

They both looked up and saw that Daniel had come up to them while they were talking – and that he'd been there long enough to already have a steaming cup of who knew what in his hand.

Jack shook his head and stood up, and Ian followed suit.

"You're not late; we're early. You ready?"

Daniel nodded and Jack led them towards the door.

"Thanks, Kira!" He called, waving a quick goodbye. Ian looked over at her and she gave him an appreciative look that spoke volumes. She smiled openly, eyes twinkling, and it was clear to Ian that he'd be welcomed back in her shop any ole time. Ian wondered if he would have gotten the same look if he'd been on his own.

He returned it, heartily wishing that he had a chance to stop and get her number – although he'd never have time to call her all that often once the Thanksgiving break was over – and followed Jack and Daniel out of the coffee shop and back to the truck. They had a couple of Christmas trees to kill, after all. And hopefully that would make Jack forget about Sam being worried about him.


	48. 48

_Author's Note: I'm glad you guys liked the addition of Kira into the story – no, she won't be jumping in regularly, but I thought it would be fun to throw her into the mix, and luckily for me, Dietcokechic agreed to it! Which reminds me; Kira and the Barista people are not mine, and I don't claim them. I asked before using them, and if you want to use them, remember to ask, too! (and ask me if you want to use my guys, too, please) especially since someone snagged about 10 chapters of my campers story and used it for their own just a couple of weeks ago without asking. Anyways! I'm glad you liked it! And now on with the story... lots of trees to choose from, and lots of mischief to get into!_

OOOOOOOOO

Relinquishing the front seat to Daniel – who was older and probably didn't fold up nearly as easily as he did – Ian climbed into the jump seat behind the passenger seat, and buckled in, sharing the last of his donut with Jaffer – although keeping his coffee for himself.

"The drive will be about an hour or so, Ian," Jack told him, turning around and looking at him. "You need us to make a stop anywhere first?"

Which translated into _do you need to go to the bathroom?_

Ian shook his head, putting his feet up on the console between the two front seats.

"I'm fine, Jack."

"It's going to take an hour if he doesn't get lost," Daniel corrected. "Since that's always a possibility, it might not be a bad idea to get one of those little kegs and put it on Jaffer's collar now."

"I'm not going to get lost," Jack told him. "I've been there a million times."

"_Three_."

"Same thing."

Jack started the truck, and they headed out of town, and Ian found himself dozing off, his head resting lightly against Jaffer, who didn't seem to mind being used as a pillow. Especially for someone who'd already shared his donuts.

Jack watched him in the rearview mirror, thinking he looked tired and debating taking him home instead of up to the mountains, but he decided that he could rest on the way up and back. Besides, as much as he loved Daniel's company – and he did – he liked the thought of spending more time with Ian, too. And maybe he could find out what was bothering him.

OOOOO

"You're lost, aren't you?"

"Of course not."

"Then why are we going down the same road we went down only fifteen minutes ago?"

"Because I liked the scenery, Daniel."

Daniel made a show of looking out the window with great interest.

"Oh, yes," he said, sarcastically – he was really getting pretty good at sarcasm. Probably all the time spent with Jack. "Trees, rocks and snow... how... _majestic_."

"I know where I am," Jack repeated, stubbornly, pulling onto a road that was barely cleared of the heavy snow that had fallen in the mountains in the last few days. What was 18 inches in town was well over 3 feet in the higher elevations, and only the fact that the rangers used the roads had them cleared at all. That and they knew that there would be people out in the mountains looking for Christmas trees that week especially.

They drove another twenty minutes, and Jack was proven right when they crossed through a gate and into a private reserve – complete with a sign that proclaimed No Hunting, No Snowmobiling, and No Trespassing. Since he'd long since spoken with Myra Stephens about trespassing, he ignored the signs, and headed up the road that led to the area he and David had explored only the week before. (David is Andrew's dad, remember)

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty," Jack said, cheerfully as he pulled the truck up under a big tree that had done a fine job of leaving a snow free parking lot under its huge branches.

Jaffer whuffled Ian's cheek, waking the cadet like Jack's words hadn't, and Ian sat up, wiping drool – Jaffer's and his – off his cheek. He looked around, confused.

"Are we lost, still?"

Jack scowled.

"We weren't lost..."

"I remember hearing something about-"

"I was just reconnoitering the area," Jack interrupted, opening the door and getting out.

"Bullshit..." Ian mumbled, softly, more to himself than anything.

"What?"

"I said 'look at it," Ian lied, sweeping his hand around to encompass all the scenery – as if he was incredibly impressed by what he was seeing. "It's a _lot_ to reconnoiter."

Jack scowled, and Daniel grinned.

"You're a lousy liar," O'Neill told the cadet.

Ian shrugged, realizing that Jack could mean that more than one way – and probably did. Not only did he know that Ian was lying about the whole bullshit thing, but he knew Ian was lying about there being nothing bothering him.

"I know..."

He couldn't think of anything to say to that, though. He'd always been a lousy liar. But he was pretty good at changing the subject when he needed to.

"So, you know the people who own this place? We're not going to have dogs chasing us off the land any minute and shotgun waving hillbillies coming after us?"

Daniel laughed.

"They're good friends," he assured Ian. "And they have big dogs, but they're all labs and they all love Jack, here."

"All right," Ian said. "I was just thinking that if we're going to get chased you guys might want to start running now. You know, get a headstart."

"Watch it..." Jack warned, knowing what was coming next. Ian didn't disappoint.

"You know... because you're so... oooold."

Jack pounced, and Ian didn't even have a chance. The quiet of the mountains was shattered by a yelp of dismay as the cadet found himself tossed into a 6 foot snowdrift.

For an old guy, Jack was pretty fast.


	49. 49

"You brought an _axe_?" Daniel asked, incredulous, as Jack pulled the tarp off the small pile of ropes and tools that were in the back of his truck. It was one thing to find the perfect tree, but then they had to cut it down and get it back to the truck – and that meant ropes and an axe.

"You have any beaver in your bloodlines that I don't know about?"

Ian snickered, and pulled out the coil of rope.

"Don't encourage him, Ian," Daniel said. He turned to Jack once more. "A chainsaw would be a lot faster, don't you think?"

"I don't have a chainsaw, Daniel. I _do_ have an axe."

"You don't know _anyone_ who owns a chainsaw...?"

Jack scowled. Of course he did. He'd just wanted to bring the axe and cut down the damned tree the old-fashioned way. Was that so wrong? It wasn't like he was clearing out farmland for goodness sakes.

Ian looked up at the mountain slopes above them.

"A chainsaw might set off an avalanche or something," he said, shrugging. "An axe won't."

"There, you see?" Jack said, slapping Ian's shoulder and looking at Daniel triumphantly. "An _avalanche_. Did you think about that? I've been in one avalanche, you know. I don't want to go through it again."

Daniel sighed; he didn't think a chainsaw would set off an avalanche, and he was pretty sure Jack hadn't even thought about an avalanche when he'd brought the axe with him. But he was out-voted two to one, and he wasn't going to win this. Besides, they were already there, and there was no way they were going to go all the way back into town to get a chainsaw.

"Fine. But when you both chop your legs off, don't come running to me."

"We're not going to chop our legs off..." Ian said, as Daniel turned and headed for the closest stand of trees. As nice as it was out here, it was also cold, and he didn't want to be up here any longer than necessary.

"Of course not..." Daniel muttered, mostly to himself. "It'll probably be mine that get chopped off – in some horrific fashion, knowing my luck."

"What?" Jack asked as he and Ian started walking after him.

"Nothing..."

OOOOO

"How about this tree?"

"It's a little big, isn't it?"

They all three looked up at the tree, breathing just a little hard from trekking through the deep snow. Jaffer bounded over to them, and looked up as well, looking to see what they were looking at. In this case it was a twenty-foot pine tree.

"Yeah," Jack said. "Maybe a little..."

"How high is your ceiling?" Ian asked.

"Twelve feet."

"How high is Sally's, Daniel?"

The archeologist shrugged.

"You don't _know_?" Jack asked, incredulously.

"Who do I look like, Bob Villa?"

"Daniel... how are we supposed to know how big a tree we can get for her if we don't know how high her ceiling is?"

"If I reach up I can just touch it with my fingertips," Daniel said, putting his hand up to demonstrate.

Jack shook his head.

"It's as good a way to measure as any, Jack," Ian said, amused.

"It's the only way we have, apparently."

They continued their walk, Jaffer bouncing through the snow in front of them, every now and then sticking his head into a drift to smell something interesting.

OOOOOOOO

"This one's pretty nice."

"Yeah, it is. How tall would you say it is?"

"Stand up next to it and lift your hand, Daniel."

"Very funny..."

He did it, though, and they saw that his hand was only about 8 inches or so from being level with the top of the tree.

"We could trim the trunk a bit to make it fit."

"Yeah."

"So we'll get this one for Sally?"

"It's a good one."

They all walked around the tree, making sure there weren't any bald spots or brown patches, and then making sure nothing was living in the branches.

"It _is_ a good one."

"Let's chop it down," Jack said, eagerly.

"Go for it, we'll be standing over here."

"Smart asses."

Jack pulled the axe from his shoulder, and took a swing at the tree trunk. The axe barely dented it. He took another whack, with the same results.

"You _did_ think to sharpen your axe before bringing it up to cut down the forest, didn't you?" Daniel asked.

"Of course I did. What do I look like?"

He hadn't done any such thing, of course – and the last time it'd been sharpened was the year before. There had been quite a few split logs and kindling since then, and the blade was definitely dull now that Jack checked it.

"Well, lovely..."

Daniel looked up at the sky. It was already after 11:30, and at this rate, they were going to be up in the mountains until Jesus came back.

"Relax, Daniel I have a whetstone in my truck. I'll go get it."

"I'll get it, Jack," Ian said. "Where is it?"

"You sure? I don't mind going to-"

Ian shook his head – although he didn't bring up an old crack like Daniel half expected him to.

"You guys look around for another tree for Sam, and by the time I'm back, hopefully we'll have two trees to chop down."

"Don't get lost..."

Jack pointed at the footprints left in the virgin snow.

"He can follow them, Daniel. How's he going to get lost? It's not like he's going to wander off – like some people I can think of..."

Ian didn't have a clue what Jack was talking about, but obviously Daniel did, because an expression of long time suffering crossed his features.

"I haven't done that in a long time, Jack..."

"Three weeks ago."

"That's a long time."

"If you're a fruit fly." Jack said. He turned to Ian. "The whetstone's in my glove box, Ian. We'll be somewhere around here. You can follow our tracks."

Ian nodded, and headed back the way they'd come, and Jack and Daniel – with Jaffer leading the way – headed into another stand of pines, hoping to find yet another perfect little tree.


	50. 50

Three feet of snow can hide a lot of things. Especially in the mountains where the trees and jutting rocks cast interesting shadows that can make solid ground look rough and treacherous ground look smooth and placid. In his defense, Jack _had_ only been in this particular area three times, and the first two times there hadn't been any snow at all. It wasn't a place he knew well, and he hadn't really explored it in advance, knowing that he was going to have all day while Sam was shopping with the girls to take his time and look around.

In retrospect, Jaffer _had_ tried to warn them, he knew, but he was too busy wrangling with Daniel – still going on about how the archeologist never paid attention to where he was going, and how they were always getting into trouble because of it.

"I'm telling you, Daniel-"

"It's not as bad as you're making it out, Jack," Daniel said, rehashing an argument that they frequently had – and not even a _real_ argument, at that. "I don't-"

There was a sharp bark from Jaffer, who had veered towards the left without either of them noticing, and then the ground fell out from under them both as what had been solid ground covered with snow was suddenly the edge of a ravine with a lip of snow that was hanging precariously over the edge, hiding the sudden drop.

Down they tumbled, head over heels in Jack's case, and face first sliding in Daniel's with his hands out in front of him to try and catch something to slow his descent. All he found were rocks, though, and they were iced over and unable to help. They landed with a muffled thump in the heavy snow at the bottom of the drop, and both of them lay still for a moment.

"Well... why does _this_ seem familiar?" Jack finally asked, without lifting his head. He was still doing a quick check to make sure nothing was broken; moving everything a little and feeling for that jolt of pain that said something was wrong.

"At least it isn't raining..." Obviously, Daniel had been thinking the same thing; reminded of the tumble they'd taken way back on Jack's birthday – another planet and another season, but with the same results.

"Well... joy..." Jack rolled over, and sat up, wincing at an ache in his side. He looked over at Daniel, who hadn't moved as far as he could tell. "Are you all right?"

"I think I broke my shoulder."

"Seriously?"

Daniel lifted his head, wincing, as he looked over at Jack.

"Maybe..."

"Can you move everything else?"

Feet moved. Hands moved. Head and fingers moved, but there was a definite gasp of pain when Daniel tried moving the arm attached to his left shoulder. That hurt and wouldn't move.

"Everything else seems to be working."

Jack heaved himself to his feet, and helped Daniel up into a sitting position. Then he eyed the shoulder critically through the open jacket the archeologist was wearing, looking at the way his left arm was hanging so limply.

"It's looks more dislocated than broken..."

"Well, it feels like it's going to fall off any minute," Daniel complained.

"You know, if you'd watch where you were going –"

"This isn't my fault."

They looked up the way they'd come. The fall was only about forty feet or so, but it was steep, and there was no way Jack was going to get up it, much less Daniel. A dark movement at the top caught Jack's eye, and he saw Jaffer's big head poke over the edge, and realized the lab was about to head down to join them.

"Jaffer, stay!"

No sense him getting stuck down here, too.

Jaffer barked, as if to argue with him, but didn't make a move to come down.

"You could send him for Ian," Daniel suggested.

"He's not Lassie, Daniel." Jack sighed. "Besides, Ian shouldn't be much behind us, and as long as he doesn't get surprised by the drop, we should be okay."

"We could call Sam..."

"Sure. Except that my cell phone is in the truck."

"Well, _that's_ helpful."

"_You_ call her."

"Mine's sitting at home on my counter."

"Convenient."

"Yeah."

"Maybe you could try to send Jaffer for Ian? At least so he knows something's going on... He went and got Sam that one time."

Jack shrugged, figuring it couldn't hurt. Besides, at least it'd make Daniel feel a little better if he thought help was on the way.

"Jaffer, go get Ian!" Jack called up to the lab. Jaffer sniffed the snow around the edges of the ravine, watching Jack and Daniel, but not showing any inclination to leave them.

"Well, that's helpful..."

"Yeah."

"I knew we should have put a keg on his collar when we had the chance."

Jack snorted.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Ian had never actually had a reason to hike through the mountains before. Oh, he'd hunted in the forests in the Northeast a few times – mainly in New England and even in eastern Canada, but he'd never been in the mountains, and he rather liked it.

It was quiet and calm, and pretty – although he'd never have used that word to describe it to anyone else. But he did like the way the trees held the snow on their branches – it was different in the western trees than the ones back home. And a lot cleaner.

He followed the trail they'd made in the snow back to the truck, counting cadence as he walked, without really noticing it. The whetstone was exactly where Jack had said it was, and Ian was glad Jack hadn't locked the truck, because he hadn't thought to ask for the keys. Of course, who was going to come out here and steal it, anyways? And why bother when there were a lot more trucks in town? He put the whetstone in the pocket of his sweatshirt and headed back towards the trees, walking in the tracks he'd already made so he didn't have to lift his feet quite so much. Trudging through the snow was a lot harder than running laps – and who knew better than he did?

He smiled, his attention wandering as he walked. It wasn't like he really needed to pay attention to where he was going, after all. It would be quite a trick to get lost with such an easy trail to follow, and you'd have to really not be paying attention to manage to hurt yourself on such level ground.


	51. 51

They weren't by the first tree, but that didn't really surprise Ian. He figured that Jack would take forever picking out the perfect tree for Sam – he knew he would. Nothing wrong with that. Ian saw the axe leaning against the first tree – Sally's tree – and decided that while they were out hunting for Sam's tree, he'd sharpen the axe for Jack so they'd be ready to start chopping the minute the others returned. He didn't want to be out here any longer than necessary, after all.

He carried the axe over to a big rock, pulled the whetstone from his pocket and sat down, then started sharpening.

OOOOOOOO

Half an hour later, he was getting pretty annoyed. There were a lot of trees out there, and there were two of them. They had to have found the right tree by now. The axe was sharper than shit – he had sharpened axes and knives and lots of other blades, so he knew how to do it quickly enough – but neither Jack or Daniel had made an appearance yet, and Ian's butt was getting cold from sitting on the rock.

"They can't be lost," he muttered to himself, looking at the trail of footprints – and one set of dog tracks – that led away from the area. There was no way they couldn't follow those tracks back to the first tree, and ultimately to the truck if necessary. Besides, Jack wasn't stupid, and Daniel was an archeologist, for Christ's sake. Archeologists had to have some kind of sense of direction, right? Egypt was a pretty desolate place, after all, and Daniel had been on digs there he was sure. He'd have gotten lost out in the desert for sure if he didn't have a good sense of direction, probably.

He picked up the axe, and looked at the tree. Maybe he should chop it down? He wondered about that, though, because Jack had sure looked pretty pleased with the notion of chopping the tree down himself, and Ian didn't want to take Jack's fun from him. He sighed, and dropped the axe, leaning it against the tree once more. Might as well go look for them, and maybe light a fire under them if they were having trouble deciding on the other tree. He could be the tie-breaking vote, after all. Grumbling about old men and indecisiveness, he headed into the woods, following the trail Jack and Daniel had made.

OOOOOOO

"Are you sure he didn't get lost on the way to the truck?"

"He couldn't have."

"Maybe he wandered off?"

"Why would he wander off, Daniel? To look at the pretty snow on the other side of the trees?"

Jack scowled, and then sighed, because he knew he really didn't have any business getting irritable with Daniel It wasn't his fault they were stuck in this stupid ditch – no more than it was Jack's – and Daniel was hurting pretty bad, even though the cold was doing a good job of numbing the hurt from his shoulder. It wasn't dangerous yet – a dislocated shoulder wasn't a life threatening injury and the two of them were wearing warm clothing, so they weren't going to freeze to death – not with the sun beating down on them. And Jack had no intention of still being stuck when the sun went down.

He'd tried to climb out the gully himself – twice. The first time he'd slipped on an icy patch that had looked fairly stable and had damn near broken his nose when he hit an outcropping of rock face-first, and the second time he'd made it a grand total of about five feet before he ended up back in the deep snow at the bottom. Both times Jaffer had watched him from his position above them, and both times Jack had been forced to tell the lab to stay put when it looked like he was going to come down after them. He wasn't all that sure that even Jaffer would have been able to get out of the gully once he was at the bottom.

"Maybe he had an accident?" Daniel hazarded.

Jack frowned at that particular thought. He had considered that, too, and that actually had him more worried than anything else. If Ian had fallen into some kind of ravine, too, or something had happened to him, the cadet could be sitting in the cold waiting to be rescued the same way Jack and Daniel were waiting on him to come find them.

"I hope not."

He looked up at Jaffer again.

"You need to go find Ian, little man... He might be hurt."

"He's not going to go, Jack," Daniel said, playing with the snow. He was building a little village of snow Incas – complete with steppe pyramid and a little alter at the top with itty bitty hearts that had been cut out of other snow Incas as sacrifices. It was something to do while waiting to be rescued, after all. "You've already tried to send him-"

"I know."

"He probably doesn't want to leave you alone."

"Yeah."

Which was normally great.

Jack looked up to the top of the gully once more, but he didn't see Jaffer.

OOOOOO

"Jesus, what were they thinking?" Ian muttered to himself after a good ten minutes of walking. He wasn't a tracker, but even he could see where they'd stopped occasionally and checked out trees. Trees that were way too big to fit into Jack's house. There was no rhyme or reason to their walking, either. They went left for a little bit, and then they'd gone right for a little bit, then they'd actually circle a tree a few times – what was that all about? – and then they'd walk in a straight line for a bit longer.

Maybe they were fucking with him? Thinking that it'd be funny to have him following impossible trails? Watching him from someplace hidden to see if he'd follow their tracks off a cliff or into a tree, or over a patch of ice. Not that he'd ever think they'd hurt him, but he could see Jack making false trails just to get Ian to follow them. Ian had thought of it, after all, and there was no doubt Jack could have come up with the idea just as easily.

He was debating going back to the tree and waiting for them to get tired of goofing off – almost positive no that that's what they were doing, when he saw Jaffer bouncing up to him from further up the track. The lab had to bounce, since he was running, and in deep snow the only way to make any progress was to jump along. Smiling – because a bouncing dog is just too cute – Ian headed for the lab.

"Where the heck is Jack?" Ian asked Jaffer once he was close enough to not have to yell. "Is he hiding from me?"

Jaffer whuffled Ian's thigh, and Ian scratched his ears, looking around, expecting to be ambushed any time. Maybe a huge snowball fight? Maybe just a lot of snow dumped on him from above? He wouldn't put either past Jack.

"Where's Jack, Jaffer?" Ian asked again. "Find him for me."

Instead of looking at him like he was crazy, or heading for some secluded spot –where Jack was probably hiding even as they were standing there – Jaffer headed back the way he came, stopping after a few leaps, and looking back over his shoulder. Figuring for sure the lab was leading him into an ambush, Ian went anyways. He could use a good snowball fight.

No more than ten minutes later – still following the trail – Jaffer came to a stop, looking at Ian intently. Ian stopped as well, looking around.

"Well? Is this the ambush spot?"

Jaffer barked. Once. Then twice, and Ian realized that he'd never heard him bark before.

"Jaffer!"

The voice came from what seemed like very close and very far away at the same time, but it was definitely Jack's.

Jaffer turned his head took a few steps, and then looked down in the snow.

Completely confused, now, Ian followed him, and just barely managed to keep from losing his footing as the snow gave way beneath him. He fell backwards, landing in the soft snow.

"Ian! Be careful!"

Ian looked down, and saw that he was on the very edge of a drop – a canyon or a ravine of some sort – about forty feet down. And at the bottom were Jack and Daniel.

"Where the hell have you been?" He yelled down at them. "Do you have any idea how long I've been sitting by that fucking tree?"

"Hey! Go get the ropes and get us out of here!" Jack yelled back, realizing that was the reason the boy had taken so long to come find them. He'd been sitting on his rear waiting for them. "Then we'll discuss just how long you've been sitting by that tree. My butt's probably frostbitten."


	52. 52

Jack had to hand it to Ian. The boy could keep his head when he needed to. Once he was sure they were really stuck in the ravine and it wasn't some kind of elaborate trap to get him in some whacky spot that left him open to some kind of attack from a mass of snowballs.

"You _really_ can't get out?" He called down to them, suspiciously.

"Ian, get some rope!"

He turned and headed back for Sally's Christmas tree at a trot – which was all he could do in the heavy snow. If this was a trick, they were both going to find themselves tossed off the cliff again, he promised himself. And a mountain of snow dumped on them, too, just for good measure.

He gathered up all the rope they'd brought – which was really more than they'd needed for a couple of trees but all the better now as far as things were concerned – and looped it over his neck and chest, freeing his arms so he could run back. It was a good thing he ran so much at the academy, he thought wryly as he trotted back through the same tracks that he and the others had made, otherwise he'd probably be ready to drop. As it was, he was out of breath, but not incapacitated by the time he reached the ledge.

"Daniel's not going to be able to pull himself up, is he?" He called down to Jack.

"Not a chance."

Since Ian knew he wasn't strong enough to pull that much dead weight – so to speak – up on his own, he was going to need help.

"I'll throw the ends of a couple of ropes down, Jack. Tie one around Daniel, just to make sure he's secure, and then I'll help you climb up. Then you can help me get him up."

Jack nodded, looking over at Daniel. He was holding up well, but his face was pale with pain, although Jack didn't see any signs of serious shock.

"You okay?"

Daniel nodded.

"You understand the plan?"

It was important to Jack that Daniel understood he wasn't going to leave him alone in this situation. Daniel knew that, too. Which he proved only a moment later.

"You're going up, and then you're going to pull me up."

Jack nodded, pressing his gloved palm against Daniel's cheek for just a moment.

"Yup. I'll make sure the rope around you is good and tight before I go, though, so you won't have to worry about anything, okay?"

"I'm fine, Jack."

"Good."

Jack looked up, waiting for Ian to drop the ropes, and a moment later he was catching the first end, which he wrapped snugly around Daniel, being careful of the shoulder, but making sure it wasn't going to slip off when they pulled him up. The second rope simply hung there, ignored for the moment.

At the top of the cliff, Ian wasn't taking any chances, either. He was tying the other end of both ropes around a sturdy tree near the edge of the lip, making certain that his own strength wasn't going to be all that was keeping Jack from falling and making sure that they wouldn't lose the rope holding Daniel and end up starting all over. Then he went over to the edge, and looked down and saw Jack looking up at him.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, Jack. You got the rope around Daniel tight?"

"It's good to go. Tie it off, though, just in –"

"I already did. Come on up."

Ian grabbed the rope, figuring he could pull while Jack climbed – to give him what help he could, and a minute later the rope tightened in his hands as Jack's weight came onto the rope and he started climbing up the steep incline, more using the rope for support than using it to actually pull himself up.

When his head came up over the edge of the cliff, Ian noticed he had managed to cut the bridge of his nose. It didn't look serious, but it probably hurt. It was a bit swollen, anyways.

"You okay?" He asked Jack, grabbing him by the back of his coat and hauling him up and over.

Jack nodded.

"Yeah, just a bit banged up. Let's get Daniel up, eh?"

Ian nodded, and untied the end of the rope that was attached to Daniel. They wouldn't need the tree this time – he and Jack would be plenty to get Daniel up – it wasn't like the guy was a heavyweight, after all.

"I'll anchor, Jack," Ian said, wrapping the rope around his waist and bracing himself against the tree. "You keep him from bumping things on the way up."

"We're pulling you up, Daniel," Jack called. "You ready?"

The archeologist waved a hand, and staggered to his feet, using the taut rope to brace himself. He was as ready as he was ever going to be.

It worked smoothly. It wasn't the first time Jack had ever rescued Daniel, of course – just the first time Ian had. The two of them pulled him up slowly, careful not to jar him with sudden jerks and giving him time to move around rocks or to use his legs to push away from any obstacle. When Daniel's head came up over the edge, Ian stepped back to hold the rope tight, and Jack grabbed Daniel's coat and pulled him up and over, bringing him down carefully on his good side so he could have a chance to catch his breath.

"Thanks," Daniel said, taking deep breaths and looking up at the two of them.

"You're welcome."

Ian untied the rope Jack had used to pull himself up, and O'Neill untied Daniel.

"How's the arm?"

"It hurts. Don't you know how to put it back in place?"

"Of course I do," Jack said, pulling the rope off. "But if I do it out here, it's going to really hurt, and there's a good chance I'll tear the muscles that hold the shoulder in place – in which case it'll take weeks or longer to heal – and it'll increase the likelihood that you'll dislocate it again."

"Oh."

Since it sounded like Jack knew exactly what he was talking about, Daniel didn't argue.

"Then I guess we'd better go have it taken care of by professionals."

"Let's hope they're not the same professionals that were going to shave my head," Ian said. "Who knows what they'll remove to take care of a dislocated shoulder..."


	53. 53

Jack didn't even chance it. They didn't go to Mercy General to have Daniel taken care of. It wasn't as close as Providence hospital was – and besides, they didn't have Janet with them to make sure the doctors were doing their job right. They pulled into the emergency entrance and hauled Daniel in and turned him over to a very competent charge nurse, who took a quick look and came up with the same diagnosis that Jack had.

"It looks dislocated," she said, easing Daniel's coat off. "But we'll get it x-rayed to make sure that's all it is. You guys can wait out in the waiting room. We'll call if we need you."

Jack led Ian out to the waiting room and the two sat down. Now that he knew Daniel was in good hands, he could let Sam know what had happened and why they were running late. He would have called her on the way in – and Sally, too, for that matter – but his cell phone had ended up being as dead as Daniel's when he'd pulled it out of the glove box, and he hadn't thought to bring the adapter.

"I'm going to go call Sam," he said to the cadet as Ian sat down on one of the extremely uncomfortable waiting chairs.

"Make sure you tell her I had nothing to do with this."

"I'm going to tell her it was all your fault."

Ian smiled, and leaned back against the wall behind the chair as Jack left. He was beat. A combination of not sleeping the night before – much – and all the running around through the deep snow had pretty much wiped him out. Of course, there was absolutely no way he was going to drift off in a hospital waiting room. Who knew what he'd wake up missing? A kidney, probably... or a lung...

He forced himself up and headed for the pop machine he'd seen out in the hall, and could see Jack at the pay phone, talking to Sam, presumably. O'Neill looked over at him, and Ian gestured to the pop machine, clearly asking him if he wanted one. Jack shook his head, no, and gestured to the coffee dispenser next to the pop machine.

Ugh. Hospital coffee. There was no way Ian would drink that shit. But if that's what Jack wanted... He brought the steaming cup over and handed it to Jack a moment later.

"Thanks, Ian."

He nodded, not wanting to interrupt the phone conversation, and headed back into the waiting room, looking up to see what was playing on the TV.

Jack joined him a few minutes later.

"Sally's going to meet us at Daniel's place when we're done here."

"Cool. Did you talk to Sam?"

"Yup. And to Janet, who was ready to come charging down here to make sure Daniel was all right."

Ian smiled.

"What'd you tell her to stop her?"

"That she could do the same thing once we got him home."

"True enough."

OOOOOOO

"Sally's meeting me at my place?" Daniel asked as they got into the truck over an hour later. The hospital staff at Providence was good, but they were just as slow as anywhere else. It was already dark out by the time they were ready to load Daniel up and take him home. Of course, it had been after 4 by the time they'd managed to get him to the hospital, and it got dark early that time of year.

"She said she was, yes."

Jack rubbed Jaffer's ears – the lab wasn't allowed in the hospital and had been forced to wait out in the truck, although Jack had come out once to take him for a quick potty break while they'd been waiting on Daniel.

"What about her tree?"

"We'll get it later."

Daniel leaned back into the seat, and closed his eyes. He was beat, and despite the fact that the doctor had given him a shot of a painkiller – and another that was a muscle relaxer – his shoulder was throbbing. But it was back in place, and Jack had been proven right when the doctor told him it was a lot safer to put a dislocated shoulder back into place with the help of the medication – which would relax the muscles and avoid tears which would take longer to heal. As it was, Daniel would be in a sling for a week or so – more if Janet said so.

"Don't fall asleep," Jack warned him as they pulled out of the parking lot. "You're a little big to be carried up to your room."

"I'm not going to fall asleep."

He closed his eyes, and fell asleep.

OOOOOOOOO

Between Jack and Ian – and a somewhat awake Daniel – they managed to get him out of the truck and up to his apartment. Sally and Janet were both there waiting for them, and the two women took charge of the injured archeologist, putting him on the couch and covering him warmly. Then Janet took a look at Jack's nose – which the nurses at the hospital hadn't even checked – while Ian took a look around Daniel's place, fascinated.

It was like a little museum. There were all sorts of odds and ends – most of it made out of rocks and old-looking metals – although there were a lot of books lining a bookcase that covered an entire wall, and Ian was surprised to see there were several written by Daniel.

"You're a writer, Daniel?"

Since Daniel was already asleep again, he didn't answer, but Sally came over to stand by him.

"He's written a few," she confirmed.

"None of them are interesting, though." Jack said, from the stool he was sitting on while Janet ran her fingers over the bridge of his nose, checking for a break through the slight swelling. Jack knew it wasn't broken, but it was easier to just sit still than to tell her he was fine and argue. "They're all about _archeology_ – not a shoot 'em up Western in the bunch."

Ian grinned, and flipped though one. Sure enough; there were all sorts of pictures from various digs – who knew where?

"He wouldn't care if you borrowed one – or two," Sally said, handing a couple over.

"You don't think so?"

She shook her head.

Ian smiled, and tucked them under his arm – it'd be something to read while he tried to stay awake that night.

"Thanks. Tell him I'll bring them back before the holiday ends."

She nodded.

"Well, you're fine, Colonel," Janet was saying as Ian walked over. "It's a little late to try and keep the swelling down with ice, but if it hurts then ice it for the pain."

"Got it." Jack looked over at Ian. "We'd better get home. Sam's been waiting on us before making dinner."

"We could just stop and get something," Ian suggested as Jack put his coat on. "That way she doesn't have to cook – and doesn't have to worry about you burning her kitchen down."

Sally laughed.

"He knows you so well, Jack."


	54. 54

_Author's Note: This chapter is a little short – but that's okay. There'll be more later! Can you believe how long this story is getting???_

OOOOOOOO

"You're not going to become an archeologist."

Ian looked over at Jack as they got into his truck after leaving Daniel's apartment.

"What?"

"I said, you _can't_ become an archeologist."

"I don't want to be an archeologist."

"What? Why not?"

"How many archeological digs are there in the United States?"

Jack shrugged.

"Beats me."

"Not a lot."

"You don't like to travel?"

_That_ would be a problem.

"I don't like to _fly_," Ian corrected him.

"You're afraid to fly?" Jack remembered him saying something about not liking flying, come to think of it. And they could get around that.

"I'm not _afraid_ to fly," Ian said, slightly defensively. "I'm just not all that keen about the possibility of crashing and burning."

"Then why did you borrow Daniel's books?" Jack asked, pointing at the books on Ian's lap.

"Because Daniel wrote them – so I thought I'd read them."

"Oh."

Ian shook his head, amused.

"Of course... I suppose I could be an archeologist who went by boat everywhere..."

"You could, but I'd have to kill you."

Jack knew Ian was just messing with him, now, though, and since he didn't have to worry about the cadet suddenly deciding on a life of archeology – not that there was anything _wrong_ with archeology, mind you, it was just that he had other ideas in mind for Ian to choose from – he wasn't going to rise to the bait.

"What do you want for dinner?"

"I don't care – as long as there's a lot of it."

"Hungry?"

"You're not?"

"I'm starved."

"There's a Taco Bell – how about Mexican food?"

Good enough. Jack pulled into the drive thru and the two of them ordered large quantities of burritos and tacos with hot sauce on the side and an few orders of the tater tots as well just for filling.

OOOOOOO

When they got home, Ian carried the books in and Jack carried in the bags of Taco Bell, with Jaffer right beside him, making sure he didn't drop anything – and hoping that he would.

Sam was lounged on the sofa when they opened the door, and the smell of something cooking told them that she'd decided that since they were on their way she'd start dinner. Jack wondered how he was going to hide the fast food bags, but before he could even think of anything, Sam caught sight of them.

"You stopped somewhere?" She asked.

"Ian made me."

Sam shook her head, smiling. Boy, he was as fast as they came when it had to do with getting out of trouble.

"How's Daniel?"

"He's fine." Jack set the Taco Bell bags down on the coffee table and leaned over and kissed Sam lightly. "He was already asleep when we left, but the shoulder's back in place and it won't hurt for long."

"What did you do to your nose?"

"Ian hit me."

Sam looked over at Ian, who shook his head.

"If I'd have hit him, it'd be a lot worse than that, Sam. Daniel said he slipped and hit it on a rock or something."

He dropped Daniel's books on the coffee table as well, and pulled off his sweatshirt while Jack took off his jacket.

"Are you thinking of becoming an archeologist?" Sam asked, looking at the books.

"Nah, I just saw them at Daniel's place and borrowed them."

"He's afraid to fly, Sam. So unless they found King Tut's twin in Boise, Idaho, he'd be out of work."

"I'm not afraid to-"

'I know, you're afraid to crash."

Sam smiled, and picked up one of the books. She'd read Daniel's books as well, once she'd met him, and had found them fascinating, even though most of the rest of the scientific world thought he was out of his mind because of his oddball theories. She frowned; realizing that the book she was holding was one that explained several of those theories. Ian was quick enough to put two and two together if he ever actually-

"What are you making for dinner?" Ian asked, distracting Sam from her thoughts.

"I _had_ thought I'd boil some of the turkey and add some noodles and make soup."

"Sounds great."

She smiled.

"Except that you're having _tacos_."

"I can have both. How long until the soup's ready?"

"An hour or so."

"Plenty of time."

Ah the joys of having an endless appetite, Sam thought. She put down Daniel's book. Maybe Ian wouldn't get around to reading it. Of course that as a small hope, considering what she'd seen him reading the night before. If he could get around to reading an advanced textbook to a class he wasn't even positive he was going to take, she was pretty sure he'd find time to read a book written by someone he knew.

"You want a burrito or a taco, Sam?" Jack asked, already rifling through the bags.

Ah, what the hell? She could have both soup and burritos, too.

"I'll have one of each, please."


	55. 55

Jack wolfed down a couple of tacos, but he felt grubby and sore and definitely in need of a shower, so he excused himself as soon as he'd taken the edge off his hunger.

"Don't eat all the burritos," he told Ian as he stood up.

"There aren't many left," Ian said, gesturing to the stack of five. "I don't know... Sam's pretty hungry and you wouldn't deny her anything, would you?"

"Sam..."

"Hmmm?"

"Don't let him eat all the burritos..."

She smiled.

"No promises, Jack... he's pretty strong, you know? I'm not sure I could keep him-"

"Forget it."

Jack grabbed two of the burritos, kissed Sam, and then headed for the bedroom to get something to change into.

"Where's _my_ kiss?" Ian yelled after him.

Sam smiled, and leaned over and pressed a kiss against his cheek and was amused to see him blush.

"Better?"

He grinned, well aware he was turning red and that she knew it.

"He's a lucky guy."

Now it was Sam's turn to blush, and Ian chuckled.

"I thought River was supposed to be the smooth one?" She teased, reaching for another taco. Maybe Taco Bell wasn't such a bad idea.

Ian shrugged.

"I'm okay when there's no one around – it's people that tend to set me off."

She smiled, well aware that he'd just paid her a compliment without realizing it. Obviously he was comfortable around her and didn't include her in the annoyances that 'set him off'. Probably he felt the same way around Jack as well.

"You'd better not eat all the tacos, either!"

Jack had a final say as he headed from the bedroom to the bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of shorts.

"I'm eating the last one now," Sam called as he shut the bathroom door. They could hear him groan in dismay and shared a smile. "I'd better get that boiling pot taken care of," she said, standing up. "You sure you're up for another meal? I could just put it in the fridge and we can have it for lunch tomorrow."

He shook his head.

"I'll eat anything you put in front of me, Sam. We missed lunch, you know?"

"Yeah."

She headed into the kitchen, and Ian finished the taco he'd been eating, then wiped his hands on his jeans and picked up one of the books he'd borrowed from Daniel.

"_Pyramids and our Past_..."

Not the catchiest title, but then Ian had never written a book himself, so who was he to complain about the title of someone else's? Titles were probably hard to come up with. Especially with all the other books out there. Probably every good title with the word _pyramid_ had been taken and Daniel had been forced to be creative – more or less. More less. Ian leaned back against a cushion and opened the book, reading the jacket first and then looking at the horrid picture of Daniel on the back of the book. Way too much hair, and even in black and white he looked pale and geeky – he looked a bit better now.

He'd taken his shoes off at the door – they'd been soaked and he hadn't wanted to get the carpet dirty if he could avoid it – so he put his feet up on the coffee table, and got comfortable as he opened the book to the first chapter. Jaffer hopped up beside him, still eyeing the bag of remaining food on the table and anxious to get a better perspective on how many were left. If no one wanted them, after all, he was more than willing to clean them up. Who knew what would happen if that Mexican food was allowed a chance to consider expansion and development... maybe world wide chaos...

Ian slid his free hand along Jaffer's shoulder, reminding him that he was there and that Jack wanted a couple of the tacos. Jaffer sighed, and rested his head on Ian's thigh, right next to the edge of the book. He'd bide his time. Oh yes... he would...

By the time Sam was done adding noodles to the boiling water and cleaning up what little mess had been made in her preparations, Ian's strenuous day and sleepless night had caught up to him and he'd dozed off, still on the first page of the book.

Sam noticed immediately when she reentered the living room and smiled down at him, but she didn't wake him up and she didn't cover him. The house was warm enough that he wouldn't be chilled, and she didn't want to disturb him. She knew he hadn't had much sleep the night before, and figured he could use the rest. She gathered up the last of the Taco Bell food and took it into the kitchen – much to Jaffer's annoyance – and then settled into the easy chair, with Daniel's other book in her hand. Might as well read it again, huh?

OOOOOOOO

"What? Did Daniel's book _bore_ him to death?"

Sam smiled, but put her finger to her lips to hush him. Jack had come out of the shower only half an hour later – a short shower for him – and had noticed how quiet it was and had gone to investigate why. He'd seen Sam reading, and then saw Ian sleeping with the book still open and lying in his lap.

"He's sleeping, not dead."

"I can't wait to tell Daniel." Jack whispered, grinning.

"I'm sure it wasn't the reading material."

"It'd put _me_ to sleep." He went into the kitchen, and checked the soup Sam was making. The noodles were done so the soup was as well – but Jack wasn't hungry. He was tired, and ready to call it a night. The shower had taken away a lot of the aches and pains from the day, leaving him warm and ready for bed.

Sam came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist, looking around his shoulder at the kettle and soaking up the warmth of his still damp skin.

"Are you hungry?"

He shook his head.

"I'm tired. Will this keep in the fridge? Or should we wake Ian up and make him eat?"

"It'll be fine until tomorrow," she told him. "But we should wake him up and send him to bed."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to tuck you in, and then come out here and finish the book I'm reading."

"I thought you've already read Daniel's books?"

"I'm into it, so I might as well finish it."

"It ends with him being right."

She smiled.

"That's not the book I'm reading. Go wake him up and send him to bed. I'll take care of the soup."

He turned in her arms and hugged her closely for a long moment.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Sam pulled his head down and stole a kiss before she let him go, and then shooed him out of the kitchen before he could distract her.

Jack walked over and leaned over the back of the couch, his hand resting on Ian's shoulder.

"Ian?"

Nothing.

He shook the shoulder a little, trying to be gentle and not startle him awake – which might keep him from going right back to sleep.

"Ian, wake up."

One eye opened, and looked up at him.

"Hmm?"

"Go to bed..." Jack whispered.

"I'm not tired..." The eye closed and Jack was pretty sure he'd already dozed off once more. He grinned, and came around the couch, taking the book from the cadet's limp hands and shaking his shoulder once more.

"Come on, kiddo, you need as much beauty sleep as you can get..."

The moment Ian's eyes opened again, Jack hauled him to his feet and helped him down the hall and into 'his' room. The cadet walked, but Jack was pretty sure he was about as not awake as he could be and still be moving. As O'Neill pulled the blankets back and then covered him up, Ian seemed to wake up just a little bit, though. At least, he raised his head from the pillow, and looked around.

"I can't sleep..." He muttered, right before lowering his head to the pillow once more and closing his eyes. Jack smiled, and covered him up.

"Looks like you're doing a good job of it, if you ask me."

He turned off the light and closed the door silently behind him as he left the cadet to his rest.


	56. 56

Author's Note: lol, no. There is no hidden anti-alien message in my Taco Bell comment. Some of my favorite people are Aliens (ie Dotty and Thor)

OOOOOOOOOO

"_Ian! Get up!"_

_They were in the stairwell. It was dark, and the only sounds were those coming from Shawn and Ian – who were both gasping for breath and trying not to so they could also listen for the sound of those who were following them. The only way they'd know they were coming was by listening for them, because they knew already they wouldn't be able to see them. Ian felt a stab of fear and tried to haul himself to his feet, forcing himself to stand on an ankle that had just been injured in the fall he'd taken._

"_Get going Shawn!" He felt a surge of anger – the fucking kid was going to get himself killed as well if he stuck around waiting for him. Dumb noble little bastard. "They're-"_

_They both heard the noise. A shuffling sound coming from above, and they both looked up the stairs they'd just pelted down, but neither saw anything. Ian felt that fear return, wiping out his anger, wiping out everything until all he could feel was fear. How could they fight back against someone they couldn't see? How could you attack an enemy you couldn't find? He lunged to his feet, crashing into the door to the hallway. They had to escape. They had to get out of there!_

_A blast came from nowhere, crashing into the wall next to him, and Ian yelped and tried to dodge whatever it was, looking back over his shoulder and knowing he wasn't going to see anyone. Another blast, and this time Ian felt something slamming into him – a white hot pain that had surely killed-_

"_No!"_

He woke, tangled in his blankets and trying to fight his way out of them. The battle only lasted a moment and Ian found himself on the floor, his t-shirt sticking to him from sweat and his head aching abominably. He looked around and found only the quiet of his room facing him. No invisible attackers. No white lightning ray guns. Nothing like that.

Still reeling from the affects of the nightmare, he staggered to his feet, feeling a slight stab of pain in the ankle that had been injured that night. It jolted him, and he looked around in fear once more. What if it hadn't been a dream?

"Oh... _God_..."

That voice guy was right – the nightmares were becoming a problem. If anything they were getting worse every time he had them – and he hadn't thought that was possible. He opened the door to his room, intent on getting a drink, and maybe an aspirin, and heard whining and scrabbling coming from behind Jack and Sam's closed bedroom door. Jaffer was trying to get out and couldn't.

Ignoring that, although he prayed that it wouldn't disturb their sleep, Ian staggered into the kitchen, not even noticing in his distracted state of mind that the living room light was on. He went straight to the sink and poured himself a glass of cold water, but his hand was shaking too much to lift it to his lips. He stared at it in fascination, and no little amount of disgust.

"Fucking baby..." he chided himself, mockingly.

"Ian?"

He shrieked, dropping the glass with a crash as what little equilibrium he'd managed to pull together since waking up once more shattered at the unexpected voice behind him. He whirled, and saw Sam standing there, her eyes concerned and her face as pale as he was sure his was.

"Oh, God..."

She'd heard him first. Had heard the door open to his room and had seen him walking – wobbling was closer to the actuality – to the kitchen. He'd looked pale and unfocused, and about as agitated as she'd ever seen anyone and it was a sign of just how distracted he was that he hadn't seen her drop Daniel's book and stand up as he walked by. And hadn't seen her follow him into the kitchen.

"Ian, what is it?"

He shook his head, feeling about as helpless as he could ever remember feeling. She knew. Well, no, she didn't _know_, but she could guess. She was smart enough to guess. She'd tell, and then everyone would know. Jack would find out, of course, and Shawn, and Hayden... everyone would know he couldn't control his own mind – and how was he going to be able to-

"Ian..."

She took a step forward, feeling her own stab of fear at the sudden look of utter vulnerability she saw in his expression. Whatever it was, it was bad.

He couldn't...

"It's..." his voice broke and he couldn't continue. He shook his head, trying to tell her he was fine. Trying to tell her to go back to bed and that he was sorry for waking her up.

But she wasn't listening.

Sam closed the gap between them, and she pulled him into her arms, reacting to the torment in his eyes and expression in the only way she could before he tried to close her out. She ignored the way he stiffened at her touch, and pulled his head down to her shoulder.

"Ian, whatever it is... it's okay. I'm here..."

He couldn't... she'd tell...

He stiffened for a moment, trying to figure out how to get himself out of this without looking like a complete tool in front of her, but his mind was a blank. All he could feel was her arms around him, her warm body against his chilled, sweaty one, and all he could hear besides the pounding in his head and heart was the comfort her voice was offering. And he broke.

All the fear; the terror of the last few months of nonstop nightmares and looking over his shoulder... all the hatred; of the bastards that had chased after him in the first place, and then of himself for not being able to handle it and get his shit together on his own... the self-loathing and exhaustion from endless sleepless nights... it all came crashing down on him at that moment, and he sagged in her arms, and started to cry.

Sam knew the moment he gave in. She could feel it, and then heard it when he started sobbing, and she clutched him tighter, holding him closely and supporting him as she held him.

"Easy..." she murmured, stroking his back with one hand while she tried to keep from being dragged down to the floor as he sagged against her completely.

And then she wasn't alone with him. Jack was there as well, his strong arms coming around both of them, supporting them. He wasn't sure exactly what was happening, but was aware that it was something that needed to happen.

"Easy..."


	57. 57

_Author's Note: So, apparently my computer has the worst timing, because it went belly up on me, and left me with only my laptop and my gaming computer. My laptop is how I managed to post 55 and 56, but I needed my gaming computer once my fingers starting cramping on the little keyboard of the laptop, and my gaming computer didn't have a word processing program on it, so I had to wait until my brother brought me my office 2000 disk so I could install one. But I have it now (yay!) so here we go! (PS: what's an_ ISSA _convention?)_

OOOOOOOOO

He was shaking so badly that Sam figured the only thing keeping him from flying to pieces were the arms that she and Jack had so tightly around him. His entire body was racked with sobs that were muffled against her shirt but were so heart wrenching she could feel tears in her eyes even though she had no idea what was causing his pain. Only that whatever it was, it was horrible. There was no way this was something simple. Not for him to be so completely broken up over it. Still holding the cadet tightly, Sam looked over and met Jack's gaze, his brown eyes just as worried as she knew her own were.

Jack didn't have a clue. He'd been asleep right up until Jaffer had woken him, scuffling against the door and whining so loudly that even sound asleep like he'd been, Jack had known something was wrong. By the time he'd jumped out of bed and reached the door he'd heard the shriek – a masculine voice that had to be Ian's – and had come pelting down the hallway with the black lab right beside him. He'd taken in the scene in the kitchen immediately, and had reacted to it in the only way he could have. Ian was folded into Sam's arms, his body shaking, sweaty and tense – and if Jack didn't know better, he'd have thought the cadet had had some kind of nightmare. Didn't he just know all about waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and terrified?

"Ian..." Sam's voice brought Jack's attention back to the here and now, and he realized that while they'd been holding him, Ian's sobs had decreased a bit. He was still crying, but it wasn't the sobs that threatened to tear him apart, now. "Ian... what is it? What's happened?"

Ian shook his head; his arms were wrapped around himself while the other two were holding him, and he knew that he was going to have to come up with an explanation but he couldn't for the life of him think of anything to tell them besides the truth. And he couldn't... could he? He sniffed, trying to get back a little control, but he couldn't do that, either. He was laid completely bared just then and it was terrifying to him to have so little control.

"Ian..."

He felt them helping him to his feet – Jack's strong arms were now taking over as Sam relinquished her hold on him – and he was being guided to the table and into one of the chairs. He went without complaint, and without argument, his head pounding and his chest heaving as he tried to get his breath back. And he refused to look at either of them.

Sam pulled a chair over right next to his own, and she gathered him in her arms once more the minute she was seated. Ian pressed against her willingly, still feeling so raw that he needed the comfort of her touch and his arms went around her as he closed his eyes and sniffed like a little kid, trying to gather his tattered courage while at the same time wallowing in the sensation of being held when he absolutely needed it the most.

She ran her fingers lightly through his dark hair, avoiding the stitches, but stroking him lovingly all the same until his ragged breathing was coming a little more evenly, and his shoulders stopped heaving. Only then did she pull gently away, and even then it wasn't too far away. Just a little, and her hand still stroked his hair soothingly.

While Sam had been holding him at the dining room table, Jack had been going through the cupboard, pulling down a bottle and a glass tumbler. He set it in front of Ian and poured about an inch of whiskey into the glass. Once the cadet had pulled away from Sam and was able to breathe a little, Jack handed him the glass.

"Drink that..."

"I don't dri-"

"Do it, Ian."

Ian did as he was told. His hand trembled but he picked up the glass and drank it, feeling it burning all the way down and warming him from the inside out. He coughed – he wasn't a drinker, after all, and had never wanted to be – but he could already feel the alcohol loosening up that tight knot in the very center of him.

Jack pulled a chair over to sit on the other side of the cadet so he and Sam were flanking him. The whiskey actually had more than one purpose; to calm him a bit once he'd gotten over the crying jag, and to get him to open up just a little more than he might have normally. Jack wasn't above doing whatever it took to find out what was going on inside the boy's head – short of getting him rip-roaring drunk – after all. Plans for the cadet's future aside, he really liked the kid, and he wasn't going to let this night pass without figuring out what was wrong so they could get it fixed.

He rested his hand on Ian's shoulder, gently, and watched as Sam soothed him with a touch and a gentle voice as they waited for the whiskey to have a chance to kick in. Then Jack spoke up, making sure his own voice was just as gentle as Sam's. There was a time for demanding, and Jack knew that this wasn't it.

"What happened, Ian?" He asked.

The boy shook his head, trying to deny that anything was wrong. He wouldn't look at either of them, though, and even if he hadn't known he was lying, Jack would have known then. He'd already figured out that Ian wasn't a good liar, and that when he _was_ lying he wouldn't look at you.

"Ian..."

Sam's fingers caressed his tearstained cheek, and he looked over at her, his eyes haunted and filled with fear. He looked back down, shaking his head again. He couldn't tell them...

"Are you hurt?" She asked, running her hand along his arms. She didn't think he was, but it was a start – a way to get him to talk to them.

He shook his head again.

"Homesick?"

He shook his head.

"Bad dream?" Jack asked, going out on a limb.

Ian flinched – literally. Telling Jack that he was dead on the money.

"And not the first one, either, is it?"

The cadet hesitated, looking up at Jack for the first time, and then over at Sam. Then he shook his head and looked down at his hands, which were still shaking.

"Not even close..."

His voice was a whisper, and he felt his eyes well up with tears. Fucking baby. A few bad dreams and you fall apart like some little kid. He sniffed, trying to stop the tears before they could start, and he felt Sam's fingers brush through his hair once more.

"Want to talk about it?" She asked, gently, knowing from his body language that he absolutely didn't want to talk about it, and knowing from experience that he needed to.

He hesitated, knowing she – and Jack – deserved an explanation for his behavior, but still unable to think of anything but the truth. Would _that_ be so bad? Better that they know than that he let them think he was homesick and missed his mommy or something. Especially since that was the only lie he could think of. And even then they probably wouldn't buy it. He took a deep, shuddering breath.

"You can't tell anyone..."


	58. 58

_Author's Note: Okay, everyone! Once I again I have a new thing for you all to look at (although it was brought up in the yahoo group, but it could have been missed in passing) So if you have time, go to my profile and check it out._

OOOOOOOOOOO

"Who would we tell?" Sam asked him gently.

"Shawn. Hayden. The Commandant of the-"

"We won't tell anyone, Ian," Sam interrupted, resting her hand on his cheek.

He looked over at her, and swallowed hard, wiping his nose with the back of hand. Then he looked back down at the table.

"I... um... I dream about those invisible guys..."

"The invisible guys?" Sam asked, looking over at Jack, who knew who he was talking about immediately.

"The ones that came to the academy," Jack said, making it more of a statement than a question, but Ian nodded anyways.

"Yeah."

"What are they doing, Ian?"

"Chasing me..." his voice was a whisper, and his face – what they could see of it – was still dreadfully pale. "Me and Shawn... they're chasing us, and we never get away..." He looked up at Jack, and O'Neill saw the fear there in his eyes. "You never get there in time in my dreams."

"Then your dreams are wrong, Ian," Jack told him. "I _did_ get there. We got there. Although you were doing fairly well, you know – even before we showed up."

Ian shook his head.

"We were going to die, Jack... and you know it. I never would have known who it was, or why they were after us, or the reason – I know you told me it was coincidence, but I know that was a lie... they were there for a reason, and they weren't simple thieves who had stolen high tech technology..."

Which had been the cover story Jack had given Ian and River. Shawn was told the truth as soon as Jack had separated him from his roommates, but there hadn't been any reason at all to tell the other two the truth – and far more reasons to lie to them. He'd explained the invisibility to them saying it was a new military project that had been stolen, and he'd thought they'd accepted it – but obviously Ian, at least, had decided that it wasn't the truth. He wondered if River had been thinking about it, too. And caught in the lie, Jack wasn't sure what to say.

"So you dream about them?" Sam asked, pulling Ian's attention away from Jack.

He nodded, looking back down at his hands, and looking for all the world as if he was ashamed of this fact.

"How long have you been having these nightmares?"

"They started while I was in the infirmary – the night after the... attack. It wasn't bad, at first... I was able to focus more on the part where I knew what they looked like – when they were in the room and I came up behind them." He took a shuddering breath, and shrugged. "Later on, it switched to being chased, and it got worse from there."

"Why didn't you say something, Ian?" Sam asked, reaching out and resting her hand on the back of his neck. Of course it got worse. The boy was intelligent, and probably had a fine imagination - as most intelligent people did. Which would have added to his nightmares considerably.

"To who?"

Good point. Who was he going to tell? It was up to the academy advisors to make sure that their students weren't having any troubles, and since she knew how good he was at putting up a front – and was probably even better at it at school – there was undoubtedly no sign of the nightmares by day. And no way he'd turn to Shawn or River – since those two were the first ones he'd told them they couldn't tell – which meant they were the _last_ ones he wanted to know.

"You fought back against them, Ian," Jack told him. "You know you saved Shawn's life by hitting that one with the tray..."

"I didn't _save_ him, Jack. I prolonged the inevitable. You saved him. But if you hadn't shown up, it-"

"I showed up – and you _did_ save him. _You_ saved yourself and my son from them. I simply finished them off." With a lot of help from Teal'c and the dogs.

"Would it help if you knew what they _really_ were?" Sam asked. She'd caught the tremor in his voice when he'd told Jack that part, and had noticed it was the only time he'd managed to make a long statement without looking away – which showed how much of a telling point that was to him. "And why they were there?"

Jack looked at Sam over Ian's shoulder. She wasn't going to tell – was she? Sam didn't catch his eye, though. She was looking at Ian, who wasn't looking at either of them.

Ian sniffed, and shook his head.

"They can't be real," he said, finally. "I looked up everything I could on any kind of invisibility technology – even what I could find in the theoretical department. We're no where near capable of making things invisible... We're not even close to the theory."

"What if we are?" Jack asked.

Ian looked at him.

"Tell me the theory of making something invisible, Jack. Besides the age old bending the light spectrums around an object to convince the eye it isn't seeing what's really there theory – because I know that one isn't possible."

"You're that certain?" Sam asked.

"I'm positive."

Well, he was right. They _weren't_ anywhere near that advanced. Of course, the Ashrak – and several other races out there were – but Ian didn't know about them. He knew about Thor, but from what Shawn had told Jack and Sam, Ian had pretty much decided that Thor was some kind of automaton experiment that the government was working on – he wasn't real, just designed to look like an alien. Of course, there was-

"What about technology to beam people around to different places?" Jack asked, interrupting Sam's train of thought. "We obviously have that – you've had it used on yourself – that's real enough."

"I haven't worked it out yet," Ian admitted. Of course, it hadn't even been a week since the whole Kinsey affair, so he hadn't had a lot of time to work on it – he was a genius, but he wasn't _that_ good. "_Do_ we have it?"

"No." Sam told him. "We don't. Someone else does."

"Sam..." Jack's voice was low and almost a warning.

She turned to him, taking her eyes off Ian.

"You can't tell-"

"It's our fault that he's having these nightmares, Jack," she said. "He's suffering because you couldn't tell him the truth when the Ashrak came after Shawn, and I'm not going to let it continue..."

"General Hammond-"

"Is about to be woken up," she said, standing up and heading for the phone. "He's an Air Force officer – and I know that _you_ have plans for him that are going to include him learning certain hidden truths – so he might as well find out early." And if it stopped the nightmares, well, that was the whole idea, right?

She waited for him to argue, but Jack knew she was right about everything she was saying, so he just nodded.

She picked up the phone and hit the speed dial button.


	59. 59

"You _promised_..." Ian said, looking over at her. He didn't know exactly what she and Jack were talking about, but he was smart enough to figure out that whatever it was, it meant telling Hammond – _General_ Hammond – about his nightmares. And Sam had promised him she wouldn't do that.

Sam met his gaze, holding his dark eyes with her blue ones, and seeing the vulnerability still there.

"General Hammond's a good guy, Ian. You know he wouldn't-"

"He's a friend of my father's Sam..."

She hung up the phone. He was right.

"Well, she's right, Ian," Jack said, sighing. "You _do_ need to know what's going on – or you're not going to be able to shake this thing. And I can't allow that."

Sam came over and sat back down at the table, watching Jack as he debated just how much to tell the cadet – and how much jeopardy he'd be putting his career in if he did it. He decided it didn't matter, in the end. Ian was going to know everything eventually – he'd have to – so they might as well give him a little of it now. Not everything, but some. At least enough that he'd be able to understand the Ashrak – although for that, he needed a little background into the fact that the Ashrak weren't human – and they weren't the only ones who weren't.

"You can't tell anyone about this," Sam said, invoking the same promise Ian had asked of them only a little before.

Ian nodded.

"Who would I tell?"

And what were they talking about anyways?

"Tell me something, Ian..." Jack said, pouring himself a little of the whiskey he'd plied Ian with. "What do you know about wormholes?"

"Quantum Physics?" Ian asked, curiously. "What does-"

"What do you know about them?" Jack repeated.

The cadet shrugged.

"Not a lot. I haven't read much on them-"

"Let me explain a wormhole to you, Ian," Sam said, taking up the conversation. She was pretty sure that Jack really understood enough about the wormholes by now that he could have explained them himself, but it _was_ her field of expertise, after all. "If you have any questions, just interrupt and ask."

OOOOOOOOOO

Ian didn't interrupt. He was a smart young man and even more importantly, Sam was a genius as well and an expert in the field she was explaining to him. She knew how to explain what wormholes were with the least amount of confusion and without dragging it on for any longer than was necessary. It wasn't a simple topic, of course, so it wasn't like it was a ten-minute conversation, but by the time she was finished, Ian knew more about wormholes than 99 percent of the people in the world.

"Any questions?" Sam asked when she'd finished that part.

Ian shook his head. It was interesting enough, he supposed, but he still didn't know what a theoretical anomaly had to do with his nightmares – and didn't ask.

"So..." Jack said, while Sam took a sip of the coffee Jack had brewed during her impromptu lesson. "You're probably wondering what that has to do with anything..."

Ian nodded.

"A bit, yes..."

He was looking a lot better than he had when he'd woken up, Jack thought. Of course, the only way he could have looked worse was if he'd been dead, so anything was an improvement. At least he had color and his expression wasn't anywhere near as bleak as it had been.

"Well," Sam said, with just a little hesitancy. So far nothing they'd said was classified. Now, though, they were going to cross that line, and while she knew it was for the best it was still enough to make her uneasy. "What would you say if I told you a device existed that could create a wormhole whenever we wanted?"

"_You_ just told me they're random."

"But say there was a device that could take away the randomness... and could open a wormhole at will."

"Why would anyone want to do that?" Ian asked, curiously.

"Because," Jack said, "If there are more than one of the devices, and the wormhole goes from one to the other – no matter how far apart they are – and can connect two places to each other."

"Like from here to New York?"

"Like from Earth to another planet," Sam said.

Ian snorted.

"Sounds like something from a movie. A 'B' movie."

Jack smiled. He could understand that.

"But if it was true?" Sam asked.

Ian shook his head, considering the possibilities because it seemed important to them – although he couldn't for the life of him figure out why.

"A device that connects two planets with a wormhole. A wormhole that you said could dissolve at any minute-"

"A _stable_ one, Ian. One we controlled. One people could walk through and almost immediately come out the other side and step on another world."

"You'd have to get to that other world to put the other device on it, first..."

"Someone already did that for us," Jack told him.

"What?"

"All of this is theoretical," Sam said. "I know. But it's also all _real_. We have control of such a device and it's amazing."

"We call it a Stargate," Jack said.

"Catchy name." He wasn't sure if they were screwing with him or not.

"I didn't name it that," Jack told him. "The Ancients did."

"The Ancients?" Ian could hear the capitalization in the title, and recognized it as a name, and not an adjective.

"The race of beings that built the Stargate," Sam said.

"Race?"

Sam nodded.

"As in... Italians?"

Jack smiled.

"As in... Aliens."

"Aliens...? Like in Area 51? Like that Thor thing I-"

"Thor's _real_," Sam interrupted. "He's not a _thing_."

"He's an Ancient?"

"He's an _Asgard_."

"An Asgard?"

"Another race of aliens."

"_Good_ aliens," Jack added.

"The Ancients were an old race – incredibly old – that were far, far advanced. Way beyond anything we can do – or can even imagine, really. They traveled to other worlds, and placed a Stargate on several of them."

"Including Earth?"

Sam nodded.

"Why?"

"Instant access," Jack said, shrugging. "Maybe they were going to populate the planet – they were here long before people were."

"There are theories that they might have started life here," Sam added.

"So they're _God_?"

Sam shook her head.

"I don't think so. It doesn't say anything about them _creating_ the Earth. Only coming to visit it."

"But we know they were here?"

"They had to be."

"Because there's a Stargate...?"

Jack nodded. He didn't need to go in about the Gao'uld and their own addition of another Stargate just yet. It was enough that the cadet wasn't looking at him like he was making it up.

"That's what's the big secret in Cheyenne Mountain?"

Sam nodded.

"Not the research?"

"We do that, too," Sam said. "And a lot of it is advanced stuff – and sometimes dangerous, because we're working on technology that is far above our own."

"Stuff we find on other planets that we go to by using the Stargate," Jack said.

"Can I see this thing?"

"Can I tell General Hammond about your nightmares?"

His expression – which had been excited and interested enough to please Sam, and satisfy Jack – suddenly clouded once more.

"You have to...?"

"There's no way he'd let you see the Stargate, otherwise, Ian. As far as he's concerned, you and River already know too much just by having been to the SGC."

"If he knew about the nightmares, and knew there was a reason that we needed to show you – to let you in on the secret – then he'd probably agree to it." He did care about Ian, after all. Ian was the son of a friend.

"You'd have to sign nondisclosure papers, though."

"I already have."

"There's probably another set for this."

God, it'd be worth everyone knowing about his nightmares if he could see this Stargate thing, Ian thought. Well, no, maybe not – but he was still interested in it. And he absolutely had to see it in action.

"If you can get him to promise not to tell my dad..."

"I'll try," Sam promised, picking up the phone.

"And you can't tell him what we've told you," Jack said. "Or my ass will be in the biggest crack you've ever seen."

Ian smiled for the first time since he'd woken up, and shook his head.

"I won't tell anyone."


	60. 60

Ian didn't hear the conversation between Sam and General Hammond. Not that he would have heard Hammond's side, anyways, but he could have figured out what was going on by what Sam was saying. Instead, though, she took the phone into the living room, and Jack and Ian took Jaffer outside to give the lab a chance to pee.

Standing on the deck beside Jack, leaning on the railing with a blanket wrapped around him – Sam had handed it to him when Jack had motioned for the cadet to follow him and Jaffer out the door – Ian watched the large dark shadow running around the back yard.

The Colonel was the first to break the silence.

"So what do think of all this?"

"The wormhole stuff, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"It's pretty far-fetched."

"But you believe it?"

"Is it true?"

Jack nodded.

"Yup."

"Then I believe you, yes."

What possible reason would he have to lie? And if he _was_ lying, why not come up with something a little more believable – like the technology thieves or something? Wormhole theories and Stargates was so unbelievable, it had to be true.

"Good."

"What does it have to do with the invisible guys, though?" Ian asked, shivering. Blanket or not, he was cold. It was the middle of the night, after all. "Are they Ancients?"

"Nah... the Ancients were good people – the best, probably." At least the one he knew was.

"_Were_?" Ian asked. "Are they all dead?"

"Not _dead_..." Jack said, shaking his head. "They've just moved on, apparently. From what we know of them from the Asgard, they have anyways."

"And Thor's an Asgard."

Jack nodded.

"I thought he was a robot."

"I know. Anyways... The Ancients – and the _Asgard_, for that matter – are good races. There are a fair number of other ones out there that are as well. But where there's good, you'll always find bad, too."

Ian nodded. Everything was balanced, after all.

"The invisible guys... well, they're pretty much bad. But they're more than that, because they're also a specialized race of individuals. Assassins, for the most part – hired by anyone who wants something done that they can't do themselves."

"You think Kinsey hired them before he went after Shawn with the Army guys?" Ian asked.

It was a good guess – _completely wrong_, of course – but a good guess for someone who didn't know all there was to know about the situation with Shawn. And it was a good way for Jack to avoid getting into the Shawn situation just yet with Ian. Not that he didn't trust the boy – because he _did_ – he just didn't want to throw too much at him at once.

"I'm not sure who hired them," Jack said – and that was the truth. "But you need to know this; they're _good_ at what they do, and you landed a shot on one of them. Not everyone could have done it."

"I just hit him with a tray..."

"You bought enough time for me and the others to get there," Jack said. "If you'd fallen apart, you all three would have been killed and the Ashrak would have escaped without us even finding them."

"Ashrak?" Ian said the unfamiliar word. "Is that what they're called?"

Jack nodded.

"They have the technology to go invisible – as you well know – but they're _not_ super soldiers, Ian. You proved that when you knocked one down with a simple tray. They're _not_ the monsters that your mind is making them out to be, and we have a few devices to keep them from being invisible when they're close to the SGC – since we had trouble with them once there, as well."

He looked over at Ian, who was looking down the yard towards Jaffer, and Jack put his hand on the cadet's shoulder.

"You fear them because you don't know what they are..."

"Yeah..."

"Now you know. And if it'll help, we'll get one of those Atari thingies and put it in your dorm room, so you won't need to ever fear them sneaking up on you invisible again. If you can see them, you can avoid them."

Ian looked over at him, his dark eyes hard to read in the faint light from the house.

"That's what it is, you know...? I _can't_ see them... In... in my nightmares they're invisible. I can't see them, but I always know that they're there, chasing me."

"Well, I don't think we'll have to worry about them – but you _never_ know," Jack said, leaning on the rail of the deck as well. He was pretty cold, too, and was getting ready to call Jaffer in so they could go inside. "It's always possible that they'll come back – but I'll make sure you're better prepared next time – in case they're dumb enough to. Maybe we'll stock your room with extra lunch trays..."

Ian smiled.

"It was all I had handy."

"You adapted. That's what you _should_ do – it's what I would have done."

Which was high praise, as far as Ian was concerned. He puffed up, just a little, feeling better already. His enemy had a name, now. Had a name, and a promise of a way to keep them from being invisible – although Ian wasn't sure what an Atari was going to be able to do to keep that from happening. He didn't ask, though, figuring he'd wait and see if Jack actually gave him one – maybe he could go find one at an old thrift store or something if General Hammond didn't let Jack hand one over.

O'Neill looked him over for a moment.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Cold?"

"Freezing."

"We'd better go in, then, before we catch colds." He put hand on the back of Ian's neck – as affectionate a gesture as he'd really make now that he had the boy back under control of his emotions.

"Thanks, Jack."

"You're welcome, Ian. But next time... don't let things get so bottled up before bringing them to me, okay?"

"It got me a free drink..."

"And don't tell _anyone_ I gave that to you – especially your dad. He'd kill me."

Ian smiled, and Jack called to Jaffer. A moment later a shadow disengaged itself from the rest of the shadows in the back yard and came rushing over to them. Tail wagging furiously, the black lab led the two back inside.


	61. 61

Author's Note: You know... I considered writing out the conversation between Sam and General Hammond, but the three different ways I did it, it either turned out sounding dumb or redundant, so I figured I'd toss that and just refer to it in this chapter. You guys can go to the forum and decide what was said, lol.

OOOOOOO

When they came in, Sam was just coming out of the living room, the phone in her hand but hanging at her side – meaning she'd finished her conversation.

"What'd he say?" Jack asked, picking up her coffee cup and taking a sip to try and at least warm up the inside.

"He's thinking it over," she told him, sitting down at the table with a rueful smile. "I think he was unwilling to make any decision after being woken up in the middle of the night if it wasn't life and death."

"It's not life and death," Ian said, sitting down as well. He was feeling a lot calmer than he had when he'd woken up – and better than he'd felt in months, really. Whether it was knowing what the phantoms in his nightmares were, finally, or the fact that he'd been able to unload the fears of the past few months, he felt as if a weight that had been pressing down on him was gone, now. And it was more relieving than he ever could have imagined.

Sam looked over at him, deciding that he did look a lot better than he had – far calmer, anyways.

"We probably won't get a decision until morning – if then," she told him.

He shrugged.

"I can wait. Although I really do want to see this thing."

She smiled.

"He said he'd let me know."

Ian hesitated.

"What else did he say?"

"About the nightmares, you mean?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry, Ian," she told him. "He's not going to run around the base blabbing about it to everyone he sees."

"Hammond's all right," Jack agreed. "You'll see."

Ian wasn't all that reassured, but really, what was done was done and there wasn't a whole lot he could do about it. Fatalism wasn't one of Ian's hobbies, but this time he'd just have to sit back and see what happened. So he nodded.

"Are _you_ all right?" Sam asked him.

He nodded again, feeling stupid for all the fuss he'd caused and appreciating the fact that they were being so good about it.

"I'm sorry for-"

"Don't be," she interrupted, reaching out and touching his cheek. "Nightmares are nothing to be ashamed of. Especially the really bad ones."

He blushed, but didn't look away, and Sam smiled.

"You should try to get some sleep, Ian," she told him. "It's been a long day, and you looked wiped out."

He _felt_ wiped out. Emotionally especially – it'd been a long time, if ever, since he'd broken down like he had.

"Thanks, Sam..."

She stood up and ran her hand along his shoulder, patting him reassuringly.

"You're welcome. I'm going to bed. If you need me, though, wake me up, okay?"

He nodded, although he had absolutely no intention of doing that – even if his head fell off and his legs turned into tenticles. He'd bothered her enough that night.

Jack stood up as well.

"Need anything?"

Ian shook his head.

"We'll see you in the morning, then, okay?"

He nodded.

"Good night."

They left him alone, then, and Ian sighed, and leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes and thinking back over the events of the evening and what he'd been told. He felt something soft and warm touch his hand and looked down to see Jaffer standing there, watching him with those expressive brown eyes that reminded him so much of his own Bubba. Ian reached out and stroked the big head.

"Go to bed, Jaffer..." he murmured. He knew the dog was waiting to see if he needed to cuddle, but Ian wasn't going to keep _him_ up, either. He was going to take a shower and try to warm up and then he was going to go to sleep – hopefully.

Jaffer whuffled him, but only for a moment, then turned and headed down the hall as well, and Ian got out of his chair. He picked up the glasses and Sam's coffee cup and put them in the sink, put the bottle of whiskey up in the cupboard – although he wasn't positive where it went – and then headed for the bathroom.

OOOOOOOOO

Almost an hour later – 2:30 by his watch – he came out of the bathroom, damp but warm, sleepy but feeling slightly wired – maybe a little afraid to go back to sleep, but probably it was due to all the thinking he'd done in the shower as he'd let the warm water relax the tense muscles of his shoulders and back. It was a lot of information to take in in one shot, after all – and now that he knew what little he knew, his mind was speculating on what more there might be. Aliens and wormholes and who knew what kind of technology... it was almost insane. Although it did, finally, explain what someone as smart as Sam was doing working in a mountain instead of someplace where her brains could be put to use. Like Research and Development. Obviously they _were_ being put to use.

He shrugged, heading down the hall and going into 'his' room. The little gadgets on Sam's work table beckoned to him to come and take a look at them – they did every time he saw them – but he fought off that urge, figuring that it would be an invasion of her privacy and her trust if he went snooping through her stuff like that (although he was even more tempted now than he had been before). Instead, he turned off the light and went to bed. Morning was already there, and who knew what the next day would bring?


	62. 62

"I can't move..."

Sam opened her eyes, and looked over at Jack, who was still in bed beside her – although his eyes were open and he was definitely awake.

"What?"

He looked at her, his nose bruised, but the swelling had gone almost completely.

"I'm sore..."

"Well, you did take quite a fall yesterday..."

"I didn't hurt so much yesterday."

She smiled.

"Oh, _sure_. Laugh at my pain..." he pouted, running his hand along his side. Every muscle in his body ached – including the little ones that ran along his ribs. "Why don't you just get up and kick me while you're at it?"

She scooted closer, running her hand along his side as well. It was morning, and the sun was shining brightly through their curtains – heralding a beautiful day in the makings.

"You'll feel better if you get up and start moving around, you know."

"No I won't... I'll be _miserable_." He knew she was right, of course. He just didn't want to move at all.

Sam slid her hand along his belly, her fingers playing delicately with the spattering of hair that ran from his chest along his stomach and disappeared under the blankets. He sighed, closing his eyes and enjoying the touch – her touch soothed like nothing else ever could.

A movement of the heavy weight that was resting by his hip was all the warning he had, and it wasn't anywhere near enough. Before his eyes opened and he'd had a chance to bring his hand up Jaffer was proving to him that _his_ touch was equally wonderful. The big lab pounced on Jack, licking him ruthlessly from his forehead to his chin – although he did avoid his nose.

Jack sputtered, turning his head into his pillow to avoid being too slobbered on so early in the morning, and Sam laughed at what was a daily ritual. Jaffer was ready to get up, so he figured it was time for Jack to get up as well.

"I can't move..." Jack reminded Jaffer, pushing him away blindly, his voice muffled in the pillow.

Jaffer either knew that and didn't care, or knew that and figured it was going to make it that much easier for him to come out on top in the morning's contest. Either way, he didn't let up on his assault, and Jack was literally forced out of bed, rolling away from Sam and Jaffer both and falling off the side of the bed, pulling all the blankets with him.

"I'm up, I'm up..."

He threw a scowl at Jaffer, who was sitting on the bed looking at him cheerfully, and then another at Sam, who was cuddled up against the black lab, now, her hand caressing his silky shoulder.

"That's not fair, you know?"

"He's your dog, Jack..." She reminded him, reminding him as well that he was the one who spoiled him and allowed him to have his way – and therefore all this was his fault. She _never_ spoiled Jaffer. Oh no, not _her_. Well, maybe sometimes...

"I'm going to go shower."

"Take your dog out first."

"He looks pretty comfortable where he is." Besides, it was cold outside, and Jack was warm. He didn't-

Jaffer hopped off the bed, coming over and wagging his tail. Oh yes, he _needed_ out!

"Some day..." Jack said, scowling again, although there was no denying the love in the hand that came down and ran along Jaffer's neck and shoulder. "You're going to make a pretty rug..."

Sam grinned and pulled all the blankets back up onto the bed, then got up herself.

"Want me to let him out?"

"Nah, I got it." He wrapped his arms around he, still a little sleepy, but not much – really, he hurt more than anything else, and the only thing that was going to fix that was a warm shower and then moving around a little – or maybe sprawling on the sofa and doing nothing. It was Saturday, after all, and he didn't _have_ to do anything. Anything but this. He kissed her softly; smiling when Jaffer rumbled a growl deep in his throat, reminding him that he _really_ needed out and there wasn't a lot of time for romance just then.

Sam smiled, too, and pulled away.

"I'll make coffee."

"Sounds good."

They all left the bedroom, and Jack headed down the hall, following Jaffer. Sam, however, stopped at the guest room and put her ear against the door, listening for a sound that Ian might be awake. She didn't hear anything, though, and opened the door just a bit, peeking her head in to check on him.

He was sound asleep, his blankets on the floor and his pillow at his feet, but apparently unconcerned about any of that. She smiled, and snuck into his room silently, pulling the blankets back up and covering him, but leaving the pillow where it was so she didn't disturb him. His soft, even breathing never changed, and she quietly shut the door behind her as she left. He needed his sleep, and there was nothing on the day's schedule that gave her any reason to wake him up. He could sleep himself out.

She headed for the kitchen. Coffee sounded great.

"How is he?" Jack asked. He'd see her stop to check on the cadet – although he'd left her to do it alone instead of going in as well – just in case Ian was awake. He didn't think the boy would be comfortable with an audience, but he knew that Ian wouldn't mind Sam checking on him nearly as much as he might Jack.

"Asleep."

"Lucky him."

Sam smiled, and kissed him again.

"Stop complaining, and go take a shower. Then, if you're still sore, I'll give you a rub down."

That was too good an offer to refuse. He reminded her that Jaffer was outside – like she could forget – and headed for the bathroom.

OOOOOOOOO

When Ian finally woke up, it was light in his room and the lights weren't on. Which told him that it was morning. Although his empty stomach and full bladder suggested it might be later than that. He stretched, feeling refreshed and ready to get up, and rolled out of bed, looking at his watch. Then looking again, because it couldn't possibly be right.

1:30?

He'd slept until 1:30?

"Holy shit..."

No wonder he was hungry and it felt like he was going to pop at any minute. He couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so late. Rubbing his head – his stitches were beginning to itch like a mother, and although he knew it meant they were already healing, it was still annoying – he opened the door and headed for the bathroom, praying there wasn't anyone in it, because he _really_ had to go.

There wasn't. Whew.

He took care of that pressing need, and then went to see where everyone else was.

OOOOOOOOO

Sam looked up when he came into the living room and smiled.

"Good morning."

"_Afternoon_," Jack corrected from where he was stretched out on the sofa, looking as though he'd been transplanted there permanently.

"Good morning." It had to be morning, somewhere, right?

"Slept well?"

Ian nodded, feeling a little foolish still about the night before, but determined not to let it embarrass him too much. Sam had told him it wasn't something he should let bother him, and he was going to try and do just that.

"Like a log."

"You were snoring like a logger _sawing_ that log." Jack told him.

"I don't snore."

"Yes, you do."

"I do not."

"Sam, tell him he was snoring..." Jack said, turning to look at her. "The whole house was shaking... I thought sure it was an earthqua-"

"Bullsh-crap." Ian said, smiling and then cutting off his automatic curse and switching it over to something a little more acceptable. "I've never snored in my life."

"I thought a 747 was crashing in the backyard..."

"I don't snor-"

"Or a train was rumbling through the hallway..."

"Sam..."

"Hmmm?"

"Tell your husband that unless he wants to end up in a snowdrift headfirst, he'd better stop picking on me."

"Bring it on, cadet," Jack said, still not bothering to do more than lift his head. He didn't hurt nearly as much as he had when he'd woken up, but he was more than a match for some young kid. "I'll even tie an arm behind my back."

Sam laughed.

"Before you two decide to destroy the house, go get something to eat," she told Ian. "There's plenty of soup – or find something else, if you'd rather."

"Soup's fine." Ian said, turning towards the dining room. "Want some, Jack?" he called. "You'll have to go put your dentures in, but I'll be happy to put some in the blender if you can't find th-"

A pillow came at him, hitting him in the back of the head.


	63. 63

Sam had put the turkey noodle soup into a large microwavable bowl and stored it in the fridge the night before, and Ian had no trouble finding it when he – accompanied by Jaffer – went to the kitchen to dig it out.

"You guys want any of this?" He called, dropping a chunk of turkey on purpose for his black shadow to gobble up – which he did, happily.

"No," Sam said. "We already ate."

"Breakfast _and_ lunch," Jack added.

"More for me..."

Ian took the entire bowl out of the fridge and put it in the microwave, and then while that was cooking, he cut himself a huge slice of pie and topped it liberally with whipped cream. Then he carried that out to the dining room table, and went into the living room to pick up the book he'd been planning on reading the night before.

"A little light reading?" Jack asked, sarcastically. It wasn't a little book by any means.

"I noticed it had pictures," Ian said, smiling, "But there are a lot of big words, so you might have Sam read it to you when I'm finished with it."

"Smart ass."

Sam laughed; glad to see Ian was back to his usual self – and knowing that teasing Jack had a lot to do with that. The microwave went off, and Ian headed back for the kitchen, followed by Jaffer who was hoping for another treat. The cadet handed him a small handful of treats from the drawer, and then brought the big bowl of soup to the table. He opened the book; careful to make sure he wouldn't slop any soup on it, and started reading while he ate.

OOOOOO

The phone rang about half an hour later, while Ian was just starting on his pie and the third chapter of the book.

"Ian?"

He looked up to see Sam bringing the phone over.

"It's Shawn."

"Thanks, Sam."

He took the phone from her, and she took his fork and stole a bite of his pie, then headed back to the living room.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ian, what are you doing?"

"Solving the world hunger problem. You?"

"We're going to go to a movie, and River thought we should bring you along as a sympathy ploy so he could pick up some girls by bringing his retarded brother out into public. Interested?"

Ian grinned, and got to his feet.

"Hold on."

He went into the living room.

"They're going to a movie and want me to come explain it to them. Are you going to need me for anything?"

Sam shook her head.

"Why don't you call Cassie and see if she wants to go?" Jack asked, looking up.

"What time are you going?" Ian asked Shawn, looking at his watch.

"Three-thirty."

"Let me see if Cassandra Fraiser wants to come, and I'll call you back."

"She'll want to come," Sam assured him, smiling.

"Sam says she'll come. I'll try and mooch a car off –"

"You can take my truck," Jack said.

"I'll call her, then go pick her up and we'll meet over at your house in a bit," Ian told Shawn.

"You don't have my address."

"I'm sure Jack has it."

"Has what?"

"Shawn's address."

"Duh."

"I'll be there in a bit," Ian said.

"We'll be here."

Ian hung up.

"You're not going to need your truck?"

"I don't plan on moving off the couch until bedtime..."

Sam told Ian Janet's phone number and the cadet called Cassandra, and frowned when a male voice answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Is Cassandra there?"

"Who's this?"

Ian's frown turned into a scowl.

"Who's _this_?"

"I asked you first." The voice was cheerful enough, which was the only thing that kept whoever it was from getting a fairly scathing answer. Instead, Ian decided he'd end the dumb game there.

"Ian."

"Ian?" The voice repeated. "I'll see-"

He was cut off almost immediately, and Ian thought he heard scuffling on the other end of the line. A moment later, Cassie's voice came on.

"Ian?"

"Yeah."

"Hi." She sounded a little breathless.

"Hey. I'm going to the movies with Shawn and River, and was wondering if you wanted to come?"

"When?"

"Three-thirty."

"Let me ask."

There was a pause of maybe thirty seconds, and she was back on the line.

"I can come. Mom wants to know if you need her to drop me off?"

"I'll come get you."

"I'll be ready."

He nodded – even though she couldn't see that – and hung up.

"Want me to finish that pie for you?" Sam asked, grinning. "You probably don't have time to eat it."

He smiled.

"I'll make time."

He went into the kitchen and cut her a piece of pie – quite a bit smaller than his own, although with just as much whipped cream – and brought it out to her, handing it over with a flourish.

Sam smiled; such a thoughtful young man.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"You know how to get to Janet's?" Jack asked.

"I went there with Sam the other day."

"_Wednesday_," Jack said. "Can you remember how to get there?"

"I never forget anything."

"Never?"

Ian shook his head.

"Really?"

"Yup."

"Nothing?"

"Nope."

"All right, hot shot. Prove it." Jack couldn't help but test a claim like that, after all. "How do you get to Janet's from here?"

"I go down the street, take a right at the second stop sign. I go left at the stoplight – which is Cherry ave – and then go down that road until I see Grant road. I take a right, go three blocks to Elm, take a left and go until I come to Fairview. There's a four way stop there, by the way. I go right. Down four blocks and left on 3rd avenue. Janet's house is the blue one on the right."

Sam smiled, and Jack looked over at her, and then up at Ian, who smirked – he was right and he knew it.

"Lucky guess."

"Yup."

"Go finish your pie and get out of here."

"Yes, Sir."


	64. 64

He did stop long enough to clean up a bit and shave. Not that he wanted to impress Cassie or the guys, but Ian was well aware that as a cadet of the USAFA, he was supposed to set an example of military decorum, and part of that was how he looked out in public – even out of uniform. He'd learned that at his father's knee, and there were some lessons you don't ignore.

Once he was clean and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt – and the pie was gone – he pocketed Jack's keys and pulled on his leather jacket. Jack gave him Shawn's address, and told him that they'd most likely be home when he got back, but if they weren't they'd leave him a note telling him where they were. He nodded, and left, and Sam looked over at Jack with a smile once the door was closed.

"Cassie's going to love you forever for suggesting to him that he take her with him."

"I thought she _already_ loved me forever...?"

"Well... now she'll love you that much more."

Jack grinned, and pulled her down on top of him, cuddling her close as he moved a little to make room for her on the couch with him.

"As long as _you_ love me forever, I'll be happy."

She cuddled against him, kissing him softly.

"I'll love you even longer than that, Jack O'Neill..."

"I love you, too, Sam..." His smile softened, and he heard the truck pull out of the driveway. "Well... now that we got _rid_ of the kid... can you think of any way to spend the rest of the afternoon?"

"I thought you weren't planning on leaving the couch until bedtime?" She asked him, her hand sliding deliciously under his shirt.

"Oh... I'd say it's bedtime..."

She giggled softly, but didn't disagree.

OOOOOOOOOOO

Ian didn't have any trouble finding the Fraiser's house. It was right where he'd left it, after all. He pulled up, parking on the street since Janet's car and another car he didn't recognize were in the driveway, and got out of the truck, preening just a little because the truck was really just as cool as the convertible, and he was definitely going to have to get himself one.

He walked up to the door, and rang the bell, immediately hearing Cassie's dog start barking and scuffling at the door. It opened a moment later, and Ian found himself face to face with a stranger. A guy about 40 something, with dark curly hair and absolutely no military look about him. Ian had been around military guys and women all his life, and he knew when someone was – and wasn't – and this guy wasn't.

"You must be Ian..."

Ian bit back a comment that immediately came to mind – he recognized the voice as that of the guy on the phone, and it was an instant reaction to want to be a smart ass and get back a little for the guy giving him a hard time on the phone. Instead, though, he nodded.

"Guilty."

The man smiled, and opened the door a bit more, allowing him to come in.

"I'm Emmett Bregman."

"This is mom's boyfriend," Cassie said coming up behind the two, dressed in a skirt and sweater, with a pair of black knee high boots to compliment the outfit. She smiled at Emmett, who gave her a smile in return, and then Cassie turned to Ian. "Ready?"

"Whenever you are."

"Hello, Ian," Janet said, coming up behind him as well. He noticed her eyes went to his head, and he was sure she was trying to think of a way to get him to sit down long enough to let her look at the stitches there, but Ian wasn't going to give her a chance if he could avoid it.

"Hi, Doctor Fraiser. Do you have a set time you want Cassandra back by?"

"Just don't stay out too late."

"We won't."

"Let's go, Ian." Cassie smiled at her mom, and Janet knew she was eager to get away from her and Emmett and be alone with Ian. She understood – and wasn't too worried. She trusted the cadet.

Ian opened the door for Cassie, nodded goodbye to Emmett and Janet, and followed the girl out the door and to the truck.

"Well, he seems like... a _nice_ guy..." Emmett said.

Janet smiled.

"He's fine, Emmett," she told him, taking his hand and using it to put his arm around her waist. "Besides, I'm glad he called, because Cassie can do something besides hang out with us, now. It'll be fun for her to spend a little time with some of her _friends_ instead of her _mom_."

He smiled, and hugged her tight.

"I suppose so... as long as you trust him-"

"He's not going to do anything inappropriate with or to her," Janet told him – again. She did like the fact that Emmett was so protective of Cass, but it wasn't necessary in this instance. "Now..." She pulled him back inside and closed the door. "Weren't you saying something earlier about just how much you missed me?"

He smiled, and kissed her.

"Want me to show you?"

OOOOOOOOO

"So... your mom's boyfriend, huh?" Ian asked, looking back at the door as he held the passenger door of the truck open for Cassandra.

"Yeah." She smiled as she got into her seat. She loved it when a guy opened the door like that for her – usually, though, Jack was the only one who did it. And sometimes Emmett.

"What does he do?"

"He's a journalist – makes documentaries and stuff like that."

Ian tossed a final look over his shoulder, in time to see the door close. He supposed he was just grumpy about the whole telephone call thing and wanted a reason not to like Emmett. Not that it really mattered, he supposed. It wasn't like he was planning on hanging out with the guy or anything. Turning his attention to Cassie, because she was the one he was with, after all, Ian made sure she was all the way in closed the truck door, then walked around and got behind the wheel.

"You look nice today," he told her absently, as he started the truck.

Cassie blushed, and smoothed down the front of her skirt, glad she'd decided to dress up just a little.

"Thank you. You look good, too."

Oh, did he _ever_.

He nodded his thanks, and pulled the truck out into the road.

"You'll have to give me directions to Shawn's house," he told her, telling her the address. "I've never been there."

She'd only been there once herself – with Sam once – but she knew the road he lived on, so she was fairly confident she could find it again. She gave him directions and they drove in a comfortable semi-silence to meet up with the others.

OOOOOOOOO

Ian recognized the jeep in the driveway when he pulled into the Adams' about half an hour later. It was the one that River had driven Shawn and Gina to Jack and Sam's on Thanksgiving, and presumably belonged to Shawn's mom or dad. He turned off the truck and opened the door for Cassie, and then the two of them went up the walk and Ian reached his hand out to ring the bell – just as the door opened, and River's blonde head poked out.

"We gave at the office," he told them with a grin, pretending to slam the door shut.

"You're going to be donating blood in a minute," Ian warned him.

River laughed, and looked back over his shoulder as a woman came up to the door behind him.

"Let them in, River," Dotty said, smiling and opening the door wider so that Cassie and Ian could come into the house. "You're letting all the heat out."

Cassie smiled and entered the house, with River wrapping his arm around her waist and taking her in, greeting her as if she were a long lost friend and he hadn't seen in her forever. Ian had frozen the moment he'd heard her; his eyes alarmed, and his body tense.

He knew that voice. It was one he'd heard in his dreams only a few nights before – and not one he'd ever heard before that. And the minute he froze, looking at her like that, Dotty knew that he knew, and he couldn't even recognize the emotions that flickered across her face.


	65. 65

Dotty Adams might have been a surviving member of one of the oldest and most powerful races that ever lived, but she was as susceptible to surprises as any of the humans that she was pretending to be, and that surprise had her frozen in a classic deer in the headlights fashion just at that moment.

He _knows_... How could he know? There was no way he could, and yet, she saw the recognition in his dark eyes and didn't miss the shock in his expression and the tense wariness in his stance. _He knew_. She just didn't know exactly _what_ he knew. Or _how_ he knew it.

She faltered, but managed a shaky smile after only a moment.

"Ian... please come in..."

He'd been certain before, but now he was positive. Not only because he trusted his memory – it'd never failed him before, after all – but because he could see the surprise in her eyes. Her expression was just as easy to read just then as his own was – even though Ian was hardly a student of human nature. This was the woman in his dream from the other night. The one who'd stepped in between him and his superego – at least what he'd _thought_ was his superego – and had ended the oddest nightmare he'd ever had. She was real, not a figment of his imagination as he'd assumed – and now she was inviting him into her house? No fucking way...

He took a step back, shaking his head and wondering how he was going to get his friends out of there without causing a scene. Of course, River hadn't seemed all that worried, and it was obvious Cassie knew the woman and held no fear of her... but...

Dotty frowned, and stepped outside, closing the door behind her.

"It's all right, Ian..."

"I know you..."

"Not officially," she said.

"You were in my head..."

"How do you _know_ that?" She couldn't deny it – and she couldn't understand how he knew it. At the moment it was more important that she knew _how_ he knew.

"I heard you there. You were-"

"Ian, you _couldn't_ remember that."

"How could I forget?" He countered. "How do you know me? What were you doing-"

"You-"

"Mom?"

The door opened and Shawn stuck his head out. Ian could see he was wearing a t-shirt and jeans, but no shoes or socks – which was why he wasn't out on the front step.

Dotty turned to her son, who suddenly looked worried.

"What's going on?" Shawn asked.

"Nothing, Shawn," she made a negating motion with her hand and gave him a very forced smile. "I'll tell you later, but I really need to talk to Ian right now, please?"

"Sure..." He didn't look completely satisfied with that explanation – mainly because there hadn't _been_ one – but he did as she asked, and closed the door, leaving the two of them alone once more, facing each other with about five feet of space between them.

"Ian, don't be afraid."

"I'm not afraid," he said, automatically. Which, come to think of it, was exactly what he'd said in his dream when she'd told the male voice he was too frightened to listen to him.

"You _look_ afraid." She crossed her arms over her breast, giving him a pointed look – which was almost a challenge. "You're not afraid of a _woman_, are you?"

Ian scowled. He wasn't going to fall for that. He was young, but he wasn't stupid.

"A woman who's wandering around in my head at night? Oh, hell yeah... I'd say I've got reason to be a little... _concerned_... wouldn't you?"

"You have nothing to fear from me."

"Are you an Ashrak?" He asked, abruptly.

Dotty shook her head, understanding better than he could imagine why he was asking that question.

"No, Ian. I'm not Ashrak."

"But you know what they are?"

"Yes."

He paused, unsure what to do next. She obviously wasn't going to tell him anything else, and he had no intention of leaving things right there. He wanted to know who she was. Dotty felt just as stalemated. She couldn't explain things to him – for one thing, she couldn't. For another, there wasn't anywhere near enough time for her to sit him down – if she had the inclination to. She definitely needed to stop and think about this before she went any further. The only problem was, she didn't have any way – short of doing something that might harm him – to make the problem go away, even temporarily. This was _not_ something she and the others had ever considered happening. Humans – no matter how intelligent – did not have the capacity for such a memory, and she knew without a doubt that Ian Brooks was human. She'd already checked him out thoroughly, once she'd learned about him.

She sighed.

"You needn't fear me." She repeated.

"What are you? How did you get into my-"

"This isn't the place for this, Ian," she said, cutting him off in exasperation. "Your friends are waiting for you and I to enter the house and if we don't soon, it'll be a disaster."

"I don't give a sh-"

"Well, you _need_ to. Because unless you come in and play like everything is fine, I'm not going to tell you anything you want to know."

Huh. That stopped him cold – and even Dotty could see it.

"And if I _do_ come in?"

"Then eventually I'll tell you... at least enough that you'll _know_ you don't have to be afraid."

"I know about the Stargate," he told her.

"I know."

Oh. He had figured that would throw her off even more – which might have given him the edge and maybe made her say something she didn't intend to. She smiled, as if aware of what he'd tried to do – and who knew? She was in his head before, maybe she still was...

"I'm not going to forget this..." he told her. "If you try to make me, it'll-"

"I won't."

Of course, he wasn't so sure he could trust her, but he knew Jack knew her and trusted her – he'd had a _kid_ with her after all, and they still kept in touch – so that was a point in her favor. O'Neill wouldn't hang out willingly with people that couldn't be trusted, he was sure, and besides, she was Shawn's mother, and Ian liked Shawn – although he'd never say it aloud. He sighed, and shrugged his shoulders.

"Fine."

Dotty smiled, and opened the door.

"Come in, Ian. And if they ask, we were discussing the weather."

"You'd better hope they don't ask _me_, but I can't lie worth a shit."

"That's fine," Dotty said, ushering him into the house – which didn't look dangerous to Ian from what he could see. "I lie well enough for both of us." Her entire life was a hidden agenda, after all – and wasn't that some kind of lie right there?


	66. 66

River looked over at Ian when he walked down the hallway into the living room. The blonde cadet still had his arm around Cassie, who was blushing brilliantly – making Ian wonder absently what smooth line he'd been using on her to make her so red. Not that she seemed to mind, though.

"What? Did you get lost from the sidewalk to the door and need directions?" River asked.

"I can't believe Jack loaned you his truck..." Gina said, smiling a hello of her own from the couch where she was sitting next to Shawn, who was putting shoes on. Next to Gina was a man Ian didn't recognize, but who stood up and offered the cadet his hand as soon as Ian walked into the room.

"Ian? I'm James Adams. It's a pleasure to meet you."

His voice was deep, but it wasn't the same voice that Ian had heard in his dream – as he'd almost expected when he saw the man sitting there. He shook James' hand.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir. Shawn's told me a lot about you." Which wasn't a lie. Shawn talked about his family a lot – so did River. Ian was the only one who rarely mentioned his family – but Ian also hated small talk, even with the few people he considered his friends. So that wasn't a big surprise.

"I was asking Ian about the truck," Dotty said, smoothly. "Since it won't hold all of you, I told him you guys could take the Jeep if you wanted to so you could all go together."

"But I told her it's okay," Ian said, unwilling to allow Dotty – or anyone else – to manipulate him into doing anything, even something as small as going to the movies in a different vehicle than the one he'd arrived in. Besides, he _liked_ driving Jack's truck.

Dotty frowned, but Ian ignored that. Just because she was lying, didn't mean he had to do what she said. He had no reason to trust her, after all – although he didn't actually _dislike_ her, either. He was unsure of her – and that meant he didn't allow himself to be put into any situation she wanted him in. The only reason he would have left the truck was to have the opportunity to come back and discuss the whole dream thing with her, but he still would have had the audience, and she could have brushed him off. He'd find an opening, eventually.

"We'd better get going," Shawn said, standing up and grabbing his jacket. He was still curious about what had occurred between his mom and Ian, but he had all night to find out and the movie started in less than an hour.

"Cassie? You want to ride with me?" River asked her with a smile as he let her go so he could get his coat on. "I'm a much better conversationalist than Brooks is."

Cassie smiled, but shook her head. She'd ride with Ian, because he'd need directions to the theater.

"I'll stick with Ian," she said. "He might need help finding the theater."

"He can follow us."

"I'm his co-pilot," she said, shaking her head – although she was pleased that River had invited her to ride with him, and was actually trying to get her to change her mind. It was flattering and he was cute enough that she almost did. But... "He needs me."

River made a huge, mournful sigh, but he shook off the regret immediately, proving to her that he wasn't as broken up as he was acting.

"We're going to the 6-plex," Shawn told her. "You know where it is?"

Cassie nodded.

"We'll meet you there."

"Dinner's at 7," Dotty said as they all headed for the door. "If you're late, you get leftovers."

"Yes, Ma'am," Shawn said, snapping her a salute. She laughed, and shooed them all out of the house. Gina, River and Shawn headed for the Jeep; Ian and Cassie went to the truck.

"Race?" River asked.

"No chance in hell."

Like he'd risk wrecking Jack's truck – or hurting Cassie? If it was _his_ car, and he was alone, he would have, though, and River probably knew it.

"Chicken."

"Whatever."

Ian was too distracted by his introduction to Shawn's mom to really be offended enough to dredge up a good comeback – and it amazed River that he hadn't told him to go fuck himself or something.

"You okay?" The blonde cadet asked his friend as Ian held the door for Cassie.

Ian nodded.

"I'm fine." He slammed the truck door closed. "Drive safe, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah."

He flipped Ian the bird, and got into the Jeep, and Ian snorted, distracted from his distraction long enough to reciprocate. River's grin was all the answer he got, and Ian got behind the wheel, looking over at Cassie.

"You set?"

"Yup."

"How well do you know Dotty?" Ian asked as he pulled the truck into the road and headed the direction that she indicated.

Cassie shrugged.

"Not very well. I've seen her a few times – she was at Sam and Jack's wedding. We don't hang out or anything, though. Why?"

It was his turn to shrug.

"Just curious."

"Does River have a girlfriend?" Cassie asked.

"Not as far as I know." He looked over at her. "Why? Interested?"

She shrugged, flushing a little.

"He seems like a nice guy."

"He is a nice guy."

"Yeah?"

Ian shrugged.

"I haven't seen him torturing small animals or anything like that..."

"How old is he?"

"Nineteen."

"You're nineteen, too, right?"

Ian nodded.

"And no girlfriend, either..." she said, more to herself than to him, but he nodded anyways.

"Right. Because-"

"You're an _asshole_," she said, smiling. "I remember."

He smiled, slightly, but kept his eyes on the road.

When he didn't say anything, Cassie debated whether to continue that line of conversation or not. He didn't seem to mind answering her questions and she was pretty sure he'd tell her whatever he knew about River – who was just as cute as she'd remembered him being. But she was still trying to figure Ian out, because she was pretty sure he wasn't quite as bad as he seemed to think he was. Not as far as she could tell, anyways.

Greatly daring – at least to her – she reached over and rested her hand lightly on his leg.

"I don't think you're an asshole."

"Well, you're wrong."

Stung, Cassie started to move her hand, but Ian reached down and caught it, putting it back where she'd had it and then pinning it under his. He didn't say anything else, and neither did she, but the ride to the theater was an enjoyable as any Cassie had ever taken.


	67. 67

_Author's Note: I guess the site's going to be down for a couple of days (Sunday night thru Tuesday night) I'll try to get a few more chapters in before that, and will try to remember not to leave it at a cliff hanger the last chapter before then. If I forget, I apologize, now!_

OOOOOOOO

The movie they were seeing was one that was highly anticipated by the younger crowd – meaning people in High School and College – so the theater was filled with a majority of people that age. When Ian and Cassie met up with Shawn, River and Gina in the lobby after getting their tickets, they decided that they'd better send someone – or a couple someones – into the theater to get them seats or they'd end up sitting in every corner of the place alone instead of in a group.

Shawn and Gina volunteered to go in, and Shawn handed Ian some money, giving him a long list of items he wanted from the concession stand. That was the best part about going to the movies, after all. Gina did the same thing – although her list of snacks was much shorter – and Ian waved away her money, telling her that it wasn't often he got a chance to treat someone who was a fan of his mom's. She smiled, and disappeared into the theater with Shawn.

While Ian had been talking with Gina and Shawn, River had taken advantage of the distraction and had come up beside Cassie, his arm once more going around her waist.

"Let's get in line, Cassie," he told her, steering her towards the crowded line. "Ian can catch up."

She nodded, unable to hide the feminine pleasure at how much he seemed to enjoy having his arm around her – she wasn't above feeling a bit smug about that. After all, there were a lot of women and girls in the room, and all of them had taken at least one look at River – and several had taken more than that and were still looking. She was with what were easily the two best looking guys in the place, and she knew that pretty much anyone in the room would have killed to be with just one of them. And she had both!

That particular observation was proved only a moment later, when a couple of her friends came up to her – both eyeing River speculatively as they did so.

"Hey, Cassie," the first said – a blonde with big blue eyes and a smile that was almost predatory as she looked at River. "Who's your... friend?"

Cassie smiled, and couldn't help but put her arm around River's waist. Oh, they would be so jealous! God, she loved this.

"This is River Hayden. He's a friend of a friend, really. River, this is Angela and Crystal. They go to school with me."

Angela – the blonde – offered her hand to River, who took it with a smile as wide as any Cassie had seen, his blue eyes sparkling. He was definitely in his element, she knew.

"It's nice to meet you, River. What school do you go to?"

"The Air Force academy," he answered, his eyes lingering on Crystal, who blushed prettily at the attention.

"Oooo, are you going to be a pilot?" Angela asked.

"He's got to learn how to get out of bed without knocking himself out before he can learn how to fly a plane..."

The drawl from behind River gave notice that Ian had arrived, and River grinned even broader, completely unperturbed by Ian's reminder at his head injury from way back when. It was always a good conversation starter, after all, and he wasn't self conscious about it.

Both girls smiled when Ian came over to stand on the other side of Cassie, who had let her arm drop from around River's waist when the blonde cadet had stepped forward to take Angela's hand, and waited for Cassie to introduce them.

"This is Ian," Cassie said, unsure if Ian would let her put her arm around his waist. Touching his knee during a private moment in the truck was one thing, but he hadn't done more than smile at her since they'd entered the lobby, and she wasn't certain what he thought of her – something that would have to be fixed, eventually. "He's at the Air Force academy, too."

Ian nodded to them, but didn't offer either of them his hand – which didn't surprise River at all. _He_ was the social one of the two, after all.

"What year are you two?" River asked.

"Seniors."

"What are you going to-"

"Hey, the lines moving."

A voice from behind them caused all of them to look back, and a guy was standing there, waiting impatiently for the five of them to take the four steps forward and fill the space that had been created when the people at the front of the line got their food and headed for the theater.

"Thanks for the tip," Ian said sarcastically as Cassie, Angela and Crystal all stepped forward guiltily. River had taken a step as well – one that put him in the middle of the three girls, where he could have plenty of chances to flirt with any or all of them – but Ian didn't see the point of moving. It wasn't like they were going to wait any less time if they filled that little space, after all.

"You being a smart ass?" The guy asked him, catching the sarcasm in the cadet's tone easily.

"You're a bright one, aren't you?"

"You'll have to pardon my friend," River said, stepping in before Ian could pick a fight in the lobby. He gave the guy a smile, and pulled Ian back by the collar of his jacket. "He's on medication."

"Fuck you, Hayden," Ian muttered, but he didn't press the issue, and the guy – who didn't want a fight any more than River did – back down as well, allowing River to diffuse what could have been an ugly scene.

"Are you trying to get your ass kicked?" River asked Ian softly as he pushed the dark haired cadet closer to the people in front of them – who had turned to watch the exchange between Ian and the guy.

"He wouldn't have a chance..."

"What's your problem?"

"What?"

"You're being awfully belligerent – even for you."

Ian shrugged, and realized that he _had_ been picking the fight. He could have just moved forward like everyone else had, but he'd been annoyed at the way River had been making the move on every girl around him – including Cassie. Which was fine, if it was _only_ Cassie that River was interested in. Ian knew Hayden was a good guy, and Hayden was far better company than he was – but if he was interested in Cassie, then he needed to show interest _only_ in Cassie – and not the other two girls. Dumb bastard. The guy behind them had simply been a way for Ian to let off some steam.

He looked at Cassie, who was standing between her friends looking at him, her eyes slightly puzzled as well.

"I'm fine."


	68. 68

The movie wasn't too bad. Not interesting enough to keep his mind off Shawn's mom and his weird dream, though – which he replayed in his mind over and over again as the actors on the screen went through their motions. He knew the female voice was Dotty, but he also knew that he had no idea who the male was, and knew for a fact he hadn't heard that voice before. The fact that he had no way of finding out who it was – unless Dotty told him, and he had a feeling she wouldn't – was frustrating, and that was just as distracting.

But it wasn't frightening. Not like the nightmares. Even knowing that she was in his head wasn't scary – because he knew who she was, and unlike with the Ashrak, there was no faceless enemy. He didn't know for sure that she wasn't a danger – although he rather thought she wasn't, because in his dreams she'd been on friendly speaking terms with the male, who had tried to help him (he knew that now, although _then_ he'd been to frightened to listen to what he'd been saying). If the male was trying to help, then Dotty must have been as well. One of those _friend of my friend_ type deals, he supposed.

All in all, though, add the dream to all that he'd learned from Jack and Sam the night before – and weren't wormhole theories just _fascinating_? – it was no surprise that he couldn't keep his full attention on the movie he was watching.

Cassie, too, was having trouble paying attention to the movie. She was seated between River and Ian, close enough in the crowded theater and cramped seats that she could feel the warmth of both of them, although River was more of a distraction than Ian was.

The blonde cadet was between Gina and Cassie, and since Gina was taken, his attention for the duration of the movie was on Cassie. Which was enjoyable, she had to admit. He didn't do anything too blatant – a simple touch of his arm against hers for a moment, or he'd let his hand rest against hers for a while, or his leg would press against hers. Nothing all that open and obvious, but added together and even Cassie – who was not all that experienced in such matters – knew that it could be an invitation to more.

Which was something that she wasn't sure how to handle. On the one hand, she was attracted to River – you'd have to be blind not to be. He was charming, and sweet, and absolutely delicious. And obviously interested in her. Which was flattering and gratifying to someone Cassie's age. On the other hand, though, she had seen him flirting with pretty much everyone else he'd come into contact with – which told her that he wasn't head over heels in love with just her. And that wasn't quite so pleasing. She didn't want to be one of many; she wanted to be The One. And she wasn't positive from what she'd seen so far that River was capable of only being interested in one.

And then there was Ian. Cassie looked over to her right at the dark haired cadet, and noticed that he didn't seem to be paying attention to the movie. He was looking at the screen, but he seemed distracted, and it made her wonder what he was thinking about. She didn't know what to make of Ian, really. He seemed so sober and introverted all the time, but she'd seen him with Jack and Sam and knew that under that brooding exterior he had a very good sense of humor, and a playfulness that you'd never expect from looking at him. It was just a matter of getting him to open up to her – and he hadn't really done it, yet.

She touched his hand, drawing his attention to her. She leaned over so she wouldn't annoy any of the people around her, and he leaned closer in response.

"Are you having a good time?"

What she really wanted to ask was what was on his mind, but she couldn't – not in the quiet theater. And if it was personal, chances were he wasn't going to tell her anyways.

He flashed her a smile – that didn't exactly reach his eyes – but rested his hand on hers for just a moment, and nodded.

"I'm good. You?"

She nodded, too, and he turned his attention back to whatever it was he'd been thinking about, and Cassie leaned back in her seat and went back to watching the movie, her leg brushing River's – accidentally.

OOOOOOOOO

"So what'd you think?" River asked her as they were walking out of the theater once the movie ended. The Californian had his arm lightly around her waist once more and was guiding her easily through the crowded lobby to where they were going to meet up with the others, who'd had to stop and use the bathroom before heading out the door.

"About the movie?"

He grinned – God, he was beautiful when he smiled. She'd never _really_ understood the term animal magnetism until she'd met River Hayden.

"Yeah."

"It was good."

"I'm glad you came."

She blushed, but tried to hide it behind a smile as they stopped next to a post to wait for the others.

"Me, too."

River started to say something else, but Ian walked up just then, and Hayden acknowledged him with a grin.

"Hey, Brooks, why don't you let me take Cassie home? You can take Shawn and Gina." The hand around her waist tightened just a little, and Cassie felt a shiver go through her. There was nothing subtle about that request!

Ian didn't miss the hand around her waist, or the blush on Cassie's cheeks, and he wasn't sure exactly how _she_ wanted him to respond to that request, but there was only one way he could answer.

"I told her mother _I'd_ bring her home, Hayden."

"I'd get her home safely, you know I would."

"I know. But she's _my_ responsibility, right now. That means _I_ take her home."

Bah.

River was too easy going to really be annoyed, but it was obvious to Ian that he'd had high hopes that he'd be given a chance for a little alone time with Cassie. The arm dropped from around her waist, and Ian wondered if it was relief or disappointment in Cassie's expression. He didn't know her well enough to read her all that well.

"We ready?"

They all turned and saw Shawn walking over with Gina, who was talking to a girl that was walking beside them. Obviously, Cassie wasn't the only one who'd run into a friend at the movies, and the girl waved a goodbye when a car pulled up to the curb and honked.

River nodded in response to Shawn's question, and pulled the keys to the Jeep out of his pocket.

"We'll probably give you a call tomorrow," he told Ian. "If we get bored and need some comic relief."

"We'd have to be really _really_ bored, though," Shawn said, grinning.

Ian flipped him the bird, causing Gina to giggle – she'd already figured Ian to be a bit less of a jerk than he acted, and knew by Shawn's reaction that he was used to being treated this way.

"If I don't see you then, I'll see you on Monday." Ian told them. Then he turned to Cassie. "You ready?"

She nodded, and they said their goodbyes and headed for the truck.

"Thanks for inviting me to come," she said when they'd both gotten in and buckled up.

"I'm glad you came."

She looked over at him, smiling slightly. A compliment like that meant a lot more coming from him than it did coming from River.

"Really?"

"Sure."

He pulled the truck out of the parking lot, and Cassie debated a ride home in silence, or trying to make small talk. She opted for small talk – but then blurted out the one question that had been in her mind, but she _really_ hadn't intended to ask.

"Why didn't you let River take me home?"

She flushed; realizing that he could take that to mean that she'd _wanted_ to be taken home by River – and all that that entailed. And she wasn't so sure that she had – although the attention had definitely been flattering.

He pulled the truck over to the side of the road, into a parking lot, and Cassie thought for a moment that he was going to turn around and take her back. Instead, he turned the engine off and looked over at her, his dark eyes completely unreadable.

"Did you _want_ me to let him take you home?"

She hesitated, and shrugged.

"I don't know," she finally answered.

"You know he was talking about more than just driving you home, right?"

"Yes." She wasn't dumb, after all.

"When you can say yes – without hesitating like you just did – that's when it's time for you to let him take you home, Cassandra. Not _until_ then, and not just because he's a smooth talker with a good smile."

"_You_ said he's a nice guy," she said, thinking about what he'd just said, and finding the truth in the statement.

"He _is_ a nice guy," Ian said, starting the truck once more. "I'd trust him with my life. But not with your heart. Not until you were sure of him – and I know that you're not."


	69. 69

"You know… I _am_ a grown up," Cassie said after a moment.

Ian looked over at her, and his gaze lingered a moment longer than it would have if the truck had been moving.

"I've noticed." He said, making her blush because it sure _sounded_ like a compliment, even though there wasn't any of the invitation in his voice that there was whenever River tossed her – or someone else – a compliment. "Why do you mention it, though?"

"Because I _can_ take care of myself."

He nodded.

"I'm sure you can." Coming from her mother it would have sounded patronizing, and would have caused Cassie to immediately bristle. From Ian, it didn't. But it also didn't sound complete. It was obvious he had more to say, so she gave him the opening.

"But…?"

"But you're _my_ responsibility right now, and that means _I_ get to look out for you, too."

He pulled the truck back out into traffic, and Cassie couldn't help but smile. Not that she needed him to look out for her, but the fact that he'd admitted that he wanted to made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. She reached out and put her hand on his leg again, only hesitating because she wasn't sure if he'd allow her to leave it there. He didn't exactly smile, but his features softened noticeably.

"Crazy woman…" he murmured, and to her delight he put his hand over hers, intertwining his fingers with hers loosely – in case he needed to put his hand on the steering wheel for something – but firmly enough that they actually were holding hands.

Cassie's cheeks went just a little red, and she felt a happy surge go through her as they drove back to her house. Asshole or not, he was perfect as far as she was concerned, and she was right where she wanted to be.

OOOOOO

There was only one car in the driveway when Ian pulled the truck up to her house a bit later. Emmett's car was gone, but the house was dark, with only the porch light on. It was almost seven – and nearly dark – but it looked like Janet was either gone, or had gone to bed. Cassie noticed, too.

"Mom must be off with Emmett somewhere." She said as she opened the door of the truck before Ian could get out and come around and do it for her. She didn't want him to think that he had to do it all the time – although she loved it when he did. He got out of the truck and walked with her to the door, listening to her dog bark on the other side.

"Maybe she went to bed early…"

"At _seven_?"

He shrugged and watched as Cassie unlocked the door, then bent to greet her dog, who was jumping enthusiastically and trying to lick her and Ian at the same time.

"You never know…"

Ian caught up the dog, giving Cassie a chance to go inside without being mauled. That was the benefit of a smaller dog than a lab; you could simply pick them up if they got annoying. She turned once she was through the door.

"Aren't you coming in?"

He shook his head.

"If your mom's not home, it'd look bad if I was here when she-"

"It'd look _worse_ if there was a stranger in the house waiting for you to leave me alone…" She interrupted.

Ian snorted, knowing that her dog wouldn't be hanging out at the door waiting for her if there was someone in the house that didn't belong there, but he stepped through the door and closed it, putting her dog on the floor once more.

Cassie turned on the light in the hallway, and they both spotted the note on the bulletin board next to the hall entranceway. Cassie grabbed it, and read it aloud.

"_Went out to dinner with Emmett, call me when you get in…"_

She smiled, looking at him.

"See? I told you she wasn't in bed."

He shrugged, willing to let her be right. Once.

"You'd better call her," he said. "_I'll_ go make sure there's no one hiding in the house and waiting for me to leave you alone…"

He headed into the kitchen, with her dog right behind him. Yup, there wasn't anyone in there. Just for the hell of it, he walked down the hall towards the bedrooms, watching the dog who was walking beside him, watching him to see what he was doing. The dog didn't seem to think there was anyone in the house, so Ian walked back to the living room, and saw Cassie was on the phone, obviously talking to her mom.

He leaned against the back of the sofa watching her, but she hung up only a moment later.

"Mom's on her way home."

"Good." He didn't like the idea of her being home alone – even though she was a _grownup_ _and well able to take care of herself_. "There's no one in your house, so I'm going to head back to Jack's."

"Will I see you again before you go back to school?" She asked him as he stood up. She placed herself between him and the door, so he had to stop.

He had a lot on his plate just then, but he had to admit that he liked the idea of another visit before the stretch between Thanksgiving and Christmas – and he wasn't sure exactly what he was going to do for Christmas, so he might not be able to see her then.

"Unless something comes up, I'll call you tomorrow," he told her, reaching for her hand, and pulling her a little closer, to her delight. He put his hand under her chin, tilting her head up, and he brushed a soft kiss against her lips.

Cassie's breath caught in her chest at the contact, but he pulled away after only a moment, his dark eyes on hers, watching her reaction. She smiled, and squeezed his hand – wishing that her mom _wasn't_ on her way home just then. She definitely wouldn't have minded another hour of kisses like that – although she was pretty sure Ian had no intention of sticking around that long or doing anything more than that one kiss.

"Thanks for coming to the movies, Cassandra."

"You're welcome."

She walked him to the door, and leaned against it, watching while he walked back to the truck and got in. He didn't wave or anything as he started it, but he did look her way once more as he backed out of the driveway, and Cassie sighed, kneeling down and cuddling her dog. River _who_?


	70. 70

He knew the way to Jack's from the Fraiser's – could have driven it with his eyes closed from the moment he'd gone there with Sam. That was one of the advantages to having a memory like his, after all. He didn't even really have to pay attention to remember something; he just had to be looking that direction. And it was a good thing, because his mind was not on where he was going. It was barely on the road – and that only enough to avoid getting into an accident.

By the time he'd pulled into the driveway, he'd pretty much convinced himself that although kissing Cassandra had been impetuous and completely out of line – he barely knew her, after all – it had also been very nice and something he definitely wouldn't mind doing again. If he had the opportunity. There was always the possibility that she was thinking the same thing – about it being something he shouldn't have done – and she could already be trying to think of a reason to avoid him if he called the next day.

Women weren't something Ian dealt with all that often, after all. Women were complicated, and a right pain in the ass most of the time, and he'd been serious when he'd told Cassie that he didn't date. He'd done plenty of dating early on – with his looks it was hardly difficult to get a female to go out with him – but he'd learned early that he wasn't good boyfriend material. He hated small talk, didn't bother trying to impress anyone, and couldn't stand being around the majority of the people he came into contact with. Which meant he didn't like to do social things, and didn't like to party. Which was something most girls enjoyed – at least sometimes.

And he _was_ a snob. He wouldn't date skanky girls – once he'd lost his virginity and didn't have the mystery of sex to entice him into a relationship with an 'easy' girl, he hadn't been able to find a reason to lower himself to their level – and he knew that with his lack of patience with those around him, he truly wasn't much fun to be around. Which left out the nice girls. _Nice_ girls hung out with and dated _nice_ guys, and Ian knew he wasn't one.

But man… Cassie was different, wasn't she? She was pretty but not flashy, feminine but not afraid to play in football in the snow or jump in on a snow fight with him and Teal'c and the others, and she honestly didn't seem to mind his attitude. Of course, he'd toned it down a bit and had tried to make sure not to use foul language, but even the times he'd slipped, she hadn't seemed to mind. He definitely liked her. Probably. And maybe she even liked him. Maybe.

By the time he pulled up in the O'Neill's driveway, his mind had pretty much tied itself up with the whole _did she like it? did she hate it and pretended to like it? will she avoid me if I call her and would I care?_ thing, and he walked into the house so distracted that his head was beginning to pound and he'd almost forgotten about the rest of the things he had on his plate.

"Hey."

Sam was the first to greet him. She and Jack were both sitting at the dining room table playing chess, and had looked up when Ian walked through the door.

"Hey." He knelt to rub Jaffer's ears. Distracted or not, the dog was far too big to ignore when he didn't want to be ignored – and Jaffer _hated_ to be ignored.

"How was the movie?"

"Good."

"Don't take your coat off." Jack told him, standing up.

"No?"

Sam stood up as well, smiling.

"No. We've been waiting on you."

"Oh?"

"Feel like going on a field trip?" Jack asked, reaching for his jacket.

"Um…"

"To the SGC," Sam added, putting on her own coat as well. "General Hammond called earlier, and gave us the go ahead to let you in on a bit of what we do around there."

"I thought you already did?"

"Yeah, well… he doesn't _know_ that we did," Jack said, frowning. "And we'd kind of like to keep it that way."

"I won't say a word."

"Good. Let's go."

"Now?"

"You got a hot date?"

He shook his head.

"No."

"Now is a good time to do it, Ian. We don't have anything going on there that might get interrupted, and there's not a lot of people there at the moment so not a lot of people will know what's going on. You'll have to sign a non-disclosure form –"

"I already did."

"Another one."

"A bigger one," Jack said, taking his keys from Ian. "I'll drive."

"You're serious?"

"It's _my_ truck."

"I meant about going tonight. He's really going to let me see the Stargate?"

Ian had expected about a month of red tape before anything had happened. And that only if Hammond really wanted to let him see the things that Sam and Jack had told him about. Even longer if the General had wanted to drag his heels. Ian had grown up with the Air Force, and knew just how long things could take when no one really wanted them to happen in the first place.

"He's going to let you see more than that," Sam said.

"Like what?"

"Secret stuff," Jack told him, mysteriously.

"No shi- _duh_. What kind of secret –"

"You'll have to wait and see."

"Do you have your license and your Military ID?" Sam asked him.

He nodded.

"Let's go."

They all headed for the door, Jaffer bounding ahead of them, eager to leave after a quiet day at home. Jack locked the door behind them, and gestured to his truck as Sam headed for her car.

"You're with me, Ian," he said, opening the door for Jaffer to hop into the truck.

"Where's Sam going?"

"She's going to stop and pick up Teal'c at Daniel's. She'll be right behind us."

"Oh."

Wondering what they needed Teal'c for to give him a tour of the SGC, Ian shrugged and got into the truck.


	71. 71

"Did you have dinner?" Jack asked as they pulled out, following Sam as far as the corner where she turned right and they went straight.

"No."

"Probably just as well, but if you're hungry, we'll get something on base."

"I'm fine."

He'd had a big lunch after all. If they put something in front of him, he'd eat it, but there was no need to go out of the way to get anything. Not yet, anyways.

"Did Cassie enjoy herself?"

"I think so."

"River didn't try and put the moves on her, did he?"

"Of _course_ he did. He asked if I'd let him take her home."

"And you said no?"

"Of course."

"Good."

"He's a good guy, Jack." Ian said, defending his friend.

"I know."

"But he's not right for Cassie. She deserves someone who won't be on a date with her and flirt with everyone else at the same time."

"I agree." Jack looked over at Ian, but the cadet was looking forward, his hand idly scratching Jaffer's ear since the lab had his head resting on Ian's shoulder, lapping up the attention that Jack couldn't give him while he was driving.

"How old is she?" Ian asked. "Just out of curiosity?"

"Ten."

Ian snorted, and looked over at Jack, who scowled.

"Seventeen. Why?"

"Just wondering."

Seventeen wasn't bad. That was practically _eighteen_, after all, and _eighteen_ was even better.

"Why…?"

"Because I didn't know how old she was."

"And you're curious… because…?"

Ian shrugged, and Jack was pretty sure he wasn't going to get much more of an answer than that without a little digging. And since Sam wasn't here to stop him, he decided maybe a _little_ digging wouldn't hurt.

"So… what do _you_ think of Cassie?"

"She's okay."

"Just _okay_?" Jack asked. He couldn't help himself – not really. He liked Ian, but he had to make sure that the cadet didn't have any designs on Cassie, who was far too young to date anyone, and always would be.

"_Better_ than okay?" Ian asked, wondering if Jack was looking for a compliment for Cassie or if he was trying to gauge how much Ian was interested in her. Since he didn't know which one it was, he wasn't sure how to respond, and knew he'd probably choose the wrong response.

"She's the closest thing I have to a daughter, you know?"

Ian decided to cut the crap. He didn't have anything to hide, after all, and he liked Jack and didn't want to make the Colonel fish any more than he already had.

"I wouldn't do anything you wouldn't approve of, Jack. I like Cassie and wouldn't hurt her."

O'Neill glanced over at him, and shrugged.

"I'd hate to have to kick your ass, you know…"

"Yeah, well, you wouldn't have to," Ian told him. "I'm not going to do anything." Besides, she was probably changing her mind about him even as they spoke about her.

Jack nodded. Good enough. He fell silent and the two of them drove the rest of the way without speaking, Jack thinking of what was to come in the SGC, and Ian allowing himself to become more and more convinced that Cassie was going to tell her mom to tell him she was gone if he called the next day.

OOOOOOOOOO

Ian's name was on a short list of those people allowed into the lower levels of the base, but that didn't stop the Marines at each checkpoint from checking him out thoroughly before allowing him past them. They checked their lists – Hammond had made sure his name was there – and then had examined his ID and his driver's license both, making sure that he was the same person.

Ian had been through the checkpoints before – once – and wasn't surprised by the security. He didn't mind it, either. Not only did it mean that he was seeing things that not all that many people saw – and some of it he'd already seen – but it also took his mind off other things. Short of being stripped searched and body cavity checked, he was fine with being checked out.

By the time they walked through the final checkpoint, Ian was fairly well anticipating seeing this Stargate, figuring it had to be the coolest thing in the world to be so well guarded. _Deep space telemetry his ass_…

Jack took him to his office first, though. On the desk was a lengthy nondisclosure form that Ian read through and then signed and dated. He knew about Military secrets, and wasn't about to spout off anything to anyone. Besides, sort of his roommates and his folks, he didn't have anyone to tell, anyways – and from the way Shawn had been given easy access to the place when they'd been here before, it was pretty apparent that Adams already knew a lot more about the place than Ian did or would.

He handed the form to Jack with a slight smile, and Jack set it in his empty OUT box.

"Come on."

He headed for the door, with Ian and Jaffer right behind him, but as he reached for the handle it opened and Sam appeared in the doorway. Behind her, Ian could see Teal'c and Daniel. Sam smiled.

"We made it."

"We wouldn't have left without you," Jack told her. He frowned when Daniel came into the room with Teal'c. "What are _you_ doing here? You're hurt." Indeed, Daniel's arm was still in a sling.

"It's not like we're going anyplace _dangerous_," Daniel said, shrugging with one arm. He smiled at Ian. "I didn't want to miss this."

Ian looked over at Jack.

"We're going somewhere?"

"Yup. As soon as we get suited up for it." Daniel's comment aside, Jack didn't go anywhere without backup – and usually in the form of at least one gun and usually more.

"Let's go then," Sam said, putting her hand on Ian's shoulder and smiling in anticipation. "You're going to love this…"


	72. 72

"You're a hunter, right?" Jack asked Ian about 15 minutes later. They were standing in the armory, looking at a huge assortment of weaponry – some Ian had never seen before.

"Yeah," Ian agreed, smoothing down the front of the uniform he was now wearing. "Mostly birds."

Desert wear; khaki BDUs – shirt and pants – boots, and web gear. An outfit identical to the ones Jack, Sam, Daniel and Teal'c were all wearing. Although now Teal'c wasn't wearing a hat and Ian for the first time saw that the big guy had the oddest… tattoo… he'd ever seen. He didn't stare, but he did wonder what it was, and why anyone would put something like that right in the middle of his forehead. Maybe it was a tribal thing – he wasn't _completely_ sure where Teal'c was from, after all.

"Ever use a machine gun?"

Ian shook his head, wryly.

"Not a lot of call for a machine gun when hunting ducks, Jack."

Sam laughed, and Jack scowled at her – which fooled no one.

"How about a shotgun?" He asked the cadet.

"Sure."

Jack already knew he could handle a sidearm, so he handed Ian a holster with a .45 in it, while Teal'c pulled a shotgun from the rack of weapons in front of them and handed it to Ian once the cadet had strapped on the holster and tied the strap around his thigh to keep the weapon from bouncing when he moved.

"Thanks."

Ian watched as Teal'c picked up a long… thing… that looked like a weird big Q-tip only a different color and made of some kind of metal of some sort.

"What's that?"

"It is a staff weapon."

Like _that_ told him anything.

"Can I see it?"

"Not just yet, Ian," Jack said, strapping his own holster on, and sliding his Beretta into position while Daniel and Sam did the same. "It's not something to check out indoors."

Ian nodded, and checked the load on his shotgun, then took a box of shells and loaded several shells into ammo loops on the web belt he was wearing. The gear wasn't all that different from what he wore while he was hunting, after all – just a different color. And he'd never worn a Kevlar vest hunting. Ducks rarely shot back, after all.

"We ready, Campers?" Jack asked a moment later, picking up his P-90.

He gave Daniel a quick once over – since the archeologist was wearing a sling, he was limited to just his Beretta, and although there wasn't supposed to be any threat where they were going, it was habit to make sure that his team was prepared for anything that might come.

"I'm good, Jack," Daniel told him, smiling.

O'Neill looked over at Sam, who was checking the action of her P-90, noted she was prepared as always, and looked over at Teal'c – who was always ready, and didn't need Jack to make sure he was set. (Although Jack did it anyways).

"Let's go, then."

They headed out of the armory and down the corridor, and Ian had to suppress a thrill of delight that was way too childish to allow to show. He didn't know what they were doing – although he suspected they were going to go through the wormhole – but he was definitely looking forward to it, and couldn't help but feel pretty cool surrounded by the group he was. They were bristling with weapons and the few (very few) people they met in the hall moved aside to allow them to pass with nods of greetings and no little respect or curiosity showing in their expressions.

The final obstacle was a solid metal door that Daniel reached first and opened with a pass card that he pulled out of his breast pocket. The door slid open, and Jack gestured for Ian to precede them into the room. Which he did.

It wasn't an incredibly large room – not as large as Ian had expected it to be – but it was definitely dominated by the round object at the top of the metal ramp. Ian took the rest of the room in at a glance, knowing that he'd remember everything in it if asked, and then walked over to stand at a yellow line at the bottom of the ramp, looking up at the thing that had to be the Stargate. Jack and the others came over to stand behind and beside him.

"Is that it?" He asked just to make sure.

"That's it." Jack confirmed.

He looked over at Jack for permission, and then walked up the ramp to get a better look. Since the gate wasn't dialing, it was safe, of course, and the others walked up with him.

"What are the symbols?" Ian asked, reaching out and touching the strange surface of the metal ring. It didn't look like any metal alloy he'd ever seen.

"They're constellations," Daniel answered, pointing out one, and Ian noticed that he could see Orion if he used his imagination a little. "They're what we use to figure out the addresses to the other Stargates."

"There are seven symbols in one gate address," Sam told him.

"Cool." He looked through the ring, and stuck his hand through it. "So we just walk through?"

Sam smiled, and shook her head.

"We haven't activated it yet. Are you ready?"

He nodded, looking up at the top of the ring, and waiting, and Jack took him by the vest he was wearing and pulled him back down the ramp with a grin.

"It's a bit safer if we wait for them to dial it from here," he said, stopping behind the yellow line once more. The Colonel looked over his shoulder and nodded, and Ian followed his gaze and saw a group of people standing at a window that was up and inset into the concrete wall. General Hammond was standing there, watching them, and the General's voice came over a speaker as Ian watched.

"I don't need to tell you that you're to obey Colonel O'Neill while you're with him, do I, Cadet Brooks?"

"No, Sir," Ian answered; correctly assuming that the speakers went both ways and Hammond would be able to hear him fine.

"Good. SG-1, you have a go…"

"Who's SG-1?" Ian asked Sam.

"That's us," she told him. "Well… _us_…" She pointed to the others. "You're just the VIP coming along with us."

The gate started dialing, drawing Ian's attention as the inner ring started turning, and a voice over the loudspeaker started saying something about chevrons locking. Then he said something about a seventh chevron engaging, and suddenly the whole Stargate flared, and what looked like a flood of water came swooshing out of it, right at them. Ian flinched back, wondering if something had gone wrong, but no one else had moved. He'd have been embarrassed if not for the fact that he was too fascinated with what he was seeing. The watery surface of the ring was moving, but it wasn't sliding out and onto the floor like it should have.

"Fuck me…" Ian whispered, amazed.

Jack snorted, and slapped the cadet on the shoulder hard enough to jerk his attention from the ring for just a moment.

"That's exactly what Sam said when she first saw it…"

"I did not."

Jack ignored her, and headed up the ramp, Jaffer moving easily beside him.

"Let's go, kids."

Ian walked up between Jack and Sam, but couldn't help but stop. They weren't surprised, though – they'd expected it – and they stopped as well, giving him a chance to look at it. He put his hand out, touching the watery surface, but his hand didn't get wet.

"This is the event horizon to the wormhole?" he asked, showing Sam that he had been paying attention when she'd explained the wormhole theory to him – and had remembered the term.

"Yes."

"Crazy…"

"Yup." Jack gave him a nudge. "Let's go. There's someone I want you to meet."

Ian took a deep breath – quietly so no one would notice – and stepped through.


	73. 73

_Author's Note: Yes, Sam's pregnant, but she's far enough along now that it's safe for her to go through the gate without hurting the baby._

OOOOOOOOOO

Had he harbored any lingering doubts that they'd been messing with his head and making everything up, Ian's doubts would have fizzled the next moment. He stepped from a concrete bunker – basically – into a wormhole and a moment later came out in open air that was fresh and looking at a field that was flat and green, and a sky that was as blue as any he'd ever seen. Since he knew it was after 8PM and that it had been dark out when they'd gone into the mountain, he knew they weren't in Colorado anymore. When he saw what looked like two faintly gleaming moons and who knew what else up in the blue sky, he was also fairly certain they were no longer on Earth.

He stopped short the moment he stepped out of the gate, and was promptly run into by Teal'c, who had followed him through. The Jaffa's bulk was plenty to knock him down, but Teal'c's reflexes were better than that, and he caught Ian before he could go tumbling. Which was just as well, because Ian was so busy staring at what was in front of him that he wouldn't have even noticed if someone had come up and chopped off his ear.

The field in front of him was filled with… people. All wearing odd clothing and more than a few of them wrestling around, or beating at each other with sticks, or standing off to the side watching them carefully and holding weapons similar to the staff weapon Teal'c was carrying. More importantly, they all looked like Teal'c – in mannerisms, at least – and Ian's eyes were sharp enough to see that most of them looked to have symbols similar to the one on Teal'c's forehead n their own – although there were different patterns besides Teal'c's.

"Where are we?" Ian asked, as a form separated itself from one of the bands that were sparring with the sticks and headed their way.

"Chulak," Teal'c said, smiling at the person heading their way. "This is where I am from."

"Where you're _from_?" Ian repeated, looking at the Jaffa. "You're not from Earth?"

"I am not."

Ian looked over at Jack, who was watching his reaction carefully.

"Are _you_?"

Sam smiled.

"Teal'c's a _Jaffa_, Ian," Sam said. "A race of beings who are – for the most part – warriors."

"Yeah… I can see that…"

Ian reached out and poked Jack, though, slowly.

O'Neill scowled and moved to the side, rubbing his arm.

"Stop that. I told you I'm from Chicago."

"Teal'c!"

The form had arrived, and turned out to be an old man with a scarred face and a thing on his forehead just like Teal'c's. His dad, maybe? Ian wondered, turning his attention from Jack to the newcomer – as did the others, although Sam was grinning at Jack, who was still rubbing his arm.

"Master Bra'tac." Teal'c held out his arm, and Ian watched as the old man clasped it warmly, grabbing his forearm and not his hand in a traditional handshake. There was a quiet moment between the two, but it passed quickly, and the old man turned to Jack, and held his hand out, and as Ian watched Jack took it in a similar fashion and with just as much of a smile as Teal'c had had.

"_Human_! It is good to see you, O'Neill," Bra'tac said, smiling at Sam and Daniel before turning his attention to Ian, who shifted his shotgun into the crook of his arm – hunter style – and waited to see what Jack wanted from him. "Who is your young companion?"

"Master Bra'tac," Jack said formally, still grinning. "May I introduce you to Ian Brooks, cadet at our Air Force academy and roommate to Shawn."

Bra'tac nodded. He knew what an Air Force cadet was, since he had been told Jack's son was now one – and of course that was all he'd heard about from Shawn himself the many times the boy had been to visit and receive instruction from the Jaffa.

"You are welcomed here, Cadet Ian Brooks," Bra'tac said, giving the young man a formal bow, which Ian returned, feeling a little foolish.

"Thanks," Ian said, uncertainly. "You can call me Ian…"

Bra'tac nodded, and turned to Jack once more.

"This is Ian's first time through the gate, Bra'tac," Jack told him. "We wanted him to meet you and maybe see what you and your fellow Jaffa were up to." Not to mention giving him a chance to find out that there were other races in the universe. Although he didn't say that aloud.

"Ah," The Jaffa warrior turned to the cadet again, who was watching him and the people down on the field with equal interest. Not from Earth, huh? They looked human enough. They certainly seemed to move like humans, and he didn't see any tentacles or fangs. He looked over at Teal'c, and poked him in a similar fashion to the way he'd poked Jack, and Sam stifled a giggle while Bra'tac himself smiled. "You have never seen a Jaffa before?" Bra'tac asked Ian.

"I've _seen_ Teal'c…" Ian said, trying to act a little less like the tourist he was. "I just didn't know that he was… _wasn't_… human."

"It's not something we like to bandy about," Jack told him, smiling slightly. "It raises a lot more questions – which we prefer to not answer."

"Yeah…" Ian nodded. "I can see why…"

"Master Bra'tac here was Teal'c's first weapons teacher," Sam said.

"And my greatest," Teal'c confirmed.

"Now I teach another generation," Bra'tac said, shrugging off the compliment as his due, and turning towards the field of sparring Jaffa. "They are the leaders of our rebellion."

"Rebellion?" Ian asked, confused.

"Kind of like in Star Wars," Jack said. "I'll explain it later…"

"I never saw Star Wars," Ian said, following Bra'tac's gaze. "What are you rebelling from, Master Bra'tac?"

"_You never saw Star Wars_?" Jack asked, amazed. At the same time, though, Bra'tac had turned to Ian and answered his question, which had the cadet's attention far more than Jack did.

"We rebel against the teachings of the false gods," Bra'tac said.

"False gods?" Ian repeated.

"They who would use my people as their own personal tools for bloodshed," Bra'tac said, seriously. "Under the guise of a false religion."

"Bastards…"

Bra'tac had learned that particular phrase – having heard it from Jack more than once, and he smiled at the cadet as he nodded.

"Indeed. But we fight back, now. And more come to join us every day…"

"Are these all your rebels?" Ian asked, intrigued enough with the people and the story he was hearing to be able to shrug off the fact that they weren't human. It helped that they _looked_ human.

"There are training facilities elsewhere," Bra'tac told him. "This is where _I_ teach, however."

"Ah."

Bra'tac watched Ian as he watched the warriors – many of them not all that much older than Ian himself, although many were also old enough to be his father or grandfather though they didn't look it.

"Would you care to try your prowess against them?" He asked, slyly. It was always good for the Jaffa to know that there were other ways of fighting in the universe, after all.

Ian turned and looked at the warriors below him, but shook his head.

"I don't like to spar against strangers," he said. "It makes for hard feelings when they get their asses kicked."

"Their asses…"

"He means he doesn't want to arouse any animosity between himself and one of your warriors if he were to beat them," Daniel said, quickly, making it sound a little less boasting than it was.

Bra'tac nodded.

"Then you may spar with _me_," the old warrior said, tapping his chest. "I will not… have hard feelings when I defeat you."

Ian snorted, smiling despite himself. The old guy looked pretty fit, but come on… he was _old_… _Old_, old, too, not just teasing Jack about being old, old.

"I probably shouldn't…" Ian said. It'd probably look bad if he beat up an old guy – even sparring in good fun.

"Oh, go on," Jack said, making a shooing gesture and unable to hide a slight grin of his own. Boy was Ian in for a surprise…

"You're not afraid of an old man, are you?" Bra'tac said, raising an eyebrow, almost mockingly.

And of course, that was Ian's undoing. He handed the shotgun to Teal'c, and shrugged, smiling slightly – even though he really was going to feel bad about beating the guy.

"Bring it on old man…"

Bra'tac gestured for Ian to precede him down to the grassy area where the others were sparring, and smiled at Jack as the others followed the cadet.

"He has much spirit, doesn't he?"

"Oh, yeah," Jack said. "He's oozing spirit… he just doesn't have a lot of brains. Try not to kill him, okay? I'm going to need him in one piece…"

"I shall do my best," Bra'tac promised, heading for the grass as well.


	74. 74

"Well… he certainly doesn't lack in the self confidence department," Daniel noted as they watched Ian square off against Bra'tac, who handed his staff weapon over to one of his students.

"Yeah," Jack said, coming over and standing by Sam, his hand brushing the small of her back for the briefest of moments as Ian went into an offensive stance he recognized as a Tai kwon do position. "He'll learn quick enough, I imagine…"

Quick wasn't even the word for it. Ian didn't recognize the move Bra'tac made and didn't have a counter for it, and was flat on his back in the grass looking up at the warm sun only seconds later, the end of Bra'tac's staff weapon pointed at his throat.

The old Jaffa smiled down at him, amused.

"Do you yield?"

Ian nodded.

"Until you let me up."

Bra'tac snorted, and pulled the young man to his feet.

"Again?"

"Yeah."

They squared off once more, and Bra'tac used the same move on Ian – testing just how quickly he learned. Ian saw it coming, recognizing it for what it was, but he still went down in a heap a moment later, once more with the staff weapon pointed at his throat.

"You saw it that time, didn't you?" Bra'tac asked him.

Ian nodded, not feeling at all foolish about being flattened – although he had to admit he definitely hadn't been expecting the old coot to be so quick. Probably had something to do with him being an alien or something. Maybe he had super speed or something.

"I just didn't know what to do…"

Bra'tac hauled him to his feet once more.

"I will show you."

He gestured to one of the watching Jaffa and squared off against him the moment he had nodded to show he was ready. Then attacked him using the same move he'd used on Ian twice. The younger warrior twisted his body out of the way of the staff weapon and Bra'tac's body, then turned and twisted his right arm, tangling it in Bra'tac's left arm for an instant, while at the same time snatching the staff weapon from the Master, and tossing him over his shoulder to land with a soft thud in the grass. The younger Jaffa pointed the staff weapon at his master with a nod, and Bra'tac grinned, then rolled to his feet and looked at Ian.

"See? It is possible to defend. I will show you."

"I saw it," Ian said, stepping up and taking the younger Jaffa's spot. He took the staff weapon from the man and handed it to Bra'tac.

"He's going to get flattened," Jack said, grinning at the cadet's impudence.

Bra'tac obviously thought so as well, to judge from the grin on his face and the challenging gleam in his dark eyes. The Jaffa master waited until Ian was ready, then attacked once more, and promptly found himself in the grass on his back with his own staff weapon torn from his fingers and now pointing it at his throat.

"Yield?" Ian asked, smiling despite the fact that he'd probably pulled a muscle tossing the old man over his shoulder. He wasn't really warmed up or anything, after all, and he should have known better than trying something so complicated.

"Until you let me up," Bra'tac told him, grinning. The Jaffa had allowed him to perform the move on him – that was how you taught someone, after all – but even though he'd allowed it, he was still impressed by the fact that the boy had managed to do it so perfectly his first try. It was a complicated move, after all, and one that took more than just one glance to learn. Usually, anyways.

Ian reached his hand down to help Bra'tac up – using the arm that wasn't throbbing painfully – and handed him back his staff weapon. Bra'tac's smile only grew.

"Well done."

Ian's smile wasn't smug; it was enthusiastic. He'd learned something new.

"Thank you, Sir."

"You've seen it before?" Bra'tac asked, looking at Teal'c as if to ask if it were some kind of trick played on the master. Teal'c shook his head, as did Ian.

"Nope. Not until he did it to you just now."

"Then how did you learn it so quickly?"

Ian shrugged.

"I saw it. That was all it takes."

"You learn so quickly?"

Ian shook his head.

"I just don't forget."

Bra'tac looked at him for a long moment, and finally decided he was telling him the truth completely. The Jaffa looked at O'Neill, who was smiling proudly, and then back at Ian.

"Come. We will test this."

He led the cadet over to a group of Jaffa who were sparring – with SG-1 trailing closely behind to keep an eye on things – and showed Ian another complicated move, this one involving moves that were almost a dance instead of a fighting style. Of course, most fighting styles were part dance anyways, and Ian had been immersed in dancing and fighting since he'd been old enough to walk – courtesy of his parents. His mother being the professional dancer she was and his father bound and determined that his son was going to follow in his footsteps and in order to do that had enrolled him in every martial arts class he could find for him. A soldier needs to be able to defend himself, after all.

With that as a background, and added into the factor the fact that Ian never forgot something he saw, the cadet didn't have any trouble with the move Bra'tac showed him, and repeated it almost perfectly – with just a few stumbles when it came to stretching muscles that weren't warmed up, and a leap that he just wasn't capable of making – even though he duplicated it fairly well without the altitude.

Bra'tac called a stop sooner than Ian would have liked – he was learning new things, after all, and nothing was better than a challenge as far as he was concerned.

"Enough." Bra'tac said after only about an hour of instruction. "You do well."

Ian stopped, rubbing his shoulder lightly and smiling slightly. Coming from the old man, it was a real compliment, he decided, and he couldn't help but preen – just a little.

"This one could be dangerous some day, O'Neill," Bra'tac told Jack, approvingly.

"Yeah," Jack said, shrugging. "He's just got to work on those people skills a bit…"

"People skills?"

"How he interacts with others," Daniel clarified. "Making people like him… so they will listen to him…"

Bra'tac shrugged.

"If he can defeat them, it does not matter if they like him or not. And if he is pointing a weapon at them, they will listen."

"I like this guy, Jack," Ian said, grinning. A man after his own heart! "Can I keep him?"


	75. 75

"We're going to have to get going," Jack said – ignoring the question, although Sam couldn't help but grin, and even Teal'c had a hint of a smile on his normally stoic face. "We really weren't supposed to stay this long…"

But Ian had been enjoying himself, and Jack had to admit that he liked the warm weather on Chulak a lot more than winter in Colorado.

Ian scowled, but he didn't protest. Instead he gave Bra'tac a formal bow – a perfect copy of the bow the old Jaffa had given him when he'd been introduced to him. It didn't seem quite so foolish, now, for some reason.

"Thank you for the lesson, Master Bra'tac."

Bra'tac nodded, and extended his hand to the cadet; an indication to those who knew him well that he had decided he liked the boy – as if there had been any doubt.

"Come back any time," he said. "It is a pleasure to instruct one who is so easy to teach."

Ian shook his hand in the same fashion he'd seen Jack and Teal'c shake it, beaming.

"If they let me, I will."

Bra'tac nodded and turned to Teal'c, his face softening with fondness and warmth.

"It was good to see you."

"And you, old friend."

As Bra'tac said his goodbyes to the others, Ian watched the fighters practicing, and looked around him. This had to pretty much be the craziest day of his life, but he wouldn't have missed it for the world. He felt someone nudge him, and turned to see Daniel handing him the shotgun.

"It's pretty amazing, huh?" The archeologist said with a knowing smile.

"It's… yeah…" How else to describe what had only been science fiction the day before?

"It's not all roses and spice," Jack said, having listened to the exchange after saying goodbye to Bra'tac. "There's a lot of danger out here, too."

"On Chulak?"

"Everywhere."

"How many other worlds are there?" Ian asked, as they headed back towards the gate – only a short walk from where they were.

"Countless," Sam told him.

"We've been to a million, and we haven't even scratched the surface." Jack said.

"A _million_?"

Jack shrugged.

"Give or take a few…"

Ian shook his head, watching as Daniel walked over to an odd-looking pedestal thing with a bunch of symbols on it that matched the ones on the Stargate.

"What are you doing?"

"Dialing the gate."

"I didn't see one of these at the SGC…" Ian said, running his fingers along the surface, but careful to avoid the symbols, since the ones Daniel had touched were lighting up – and who knew what would happen if he touched them, too? Of course, he hadn't seen much of anything at the SGC – just the gate, which had been impressive enough.

"We don't have one," Sam told him. "We have a computer."

"Ah."

When the gate flared this time, Ian didn't flinch – although it did startle him. He supposed he'd get used to that, eventually, like the others were – presuming they allowed him to go through the Stargate again – which he hoped they would.

"We'd better get back," Jack said, slapping him on the shoulder. "Hammond's going to want to debrief, and it's getting late. He gets cranky when he loses sleep."

Ian nodded and walked with the others through the gate – and a moment later was stepping from grass to concrete once more. Too fucking crazy.

Hammond was there, alerted by the activation of the gate, waiting for them at the bottom of the ramp. He waited until they'd all walked down and stopped in front of him, and he couldn't help but smile at the look on Ian's face. He had a feeling it wasn't all that often that the kid was so shell shocked, and he definitely looked impressed.

"Welcome back, SG-1."

"Thank you, Sir," Jack told him.

Hammond looked at Ian.

"How was the trip?"

"Fucking amazing…"

Jack winced visibly at the curse, but Hammond simply shook his head with a resigned look.

"Go ahead and get changed, and I'll want a debriefing in fifteen minutes," he said.

"Yes, Sir."

The others nodded their agreement, and Hammond left them alone in the embarkation room. Jack turned to Ian.

"You know…"

"Yeah, sorry."

Ian hadn't realized what he was saying until it had popped out – it was a habit, after all.

"You're going to have to work on that."

"I know. Sorry."

He did, really. He'd done a great job so far around Sam, too. This had just been a special occasion and he'd slipped.

"Come on," Sam said, taking Ian's arm with a grin – she wasn't offended by his swearing; she'd heard just as bad or worse in her lifetime. "We'd better get going."

"Yes, Ma'am."

With Sam on his left, and Jaffer on his right, Ian left the gateroom, taking a quick glance over his shoulder for a final look at the Stargate before they walked out.

OOOOOOOOO

"So? Any questions?" Hammond asked, almost half an hour later.

They were in the briefing room, and Ian was seated in one of the comfortable leather chairs, flanked by Jack and Daniel, with Sam and Teal'c sitting on the other side of the table.

"Questions?"

"About the Stargate."

Ian shook his head.

"No, Sir. Jack and Sam explained it to me – mostly. How it works, at any rate… Well… _Sam_ did most of the explaining…"

The General smiled. He believed that.

"And what did you think of your trip? Without the expletives, please."

"It was… crazy. We went from winter to summer in an instant."

"He and Bra'tac got along rather well, Sir," Jack said.

"That's good to know," Hammond said. There had always been a chance the boy might have said the wrong thing to the wrong person and set off an incident that they definitely didn't want. Which was why he'd made sure the cadet knew he was supposed to listen to Jack during the trip.

"So, now do you know what you want to do when you graduate?" Sam asked Ian with a slight smile.

Ian looked over at her, bemused.

"Let's just say I have a better appreciation of my options…" He still didn't know what he wanted to do, but he knew whatever it was, it was going to have something to do with going through the Stargate as often as possible. And maybe something with the Jaffa – and Bra'tac.

"Then it wasn't a wasted trip," Hammond said, standing up. "Good. I'm going home. You should all do the same."

Ian looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was after ten. He wasn't at all sleepy, though – although he could use a bite to eat. But there were tons of leftovers in the fridge at the O'Neill's.

"That's where we're headed, Sir," Jack assured him, standing up as well.

Hammond left, and Jack looked at Sam.

"I'll take Daniel home."

She nodded.

"I'll take Ian with me,then."

"Fair enough."

Ian shrugged. Sam was cuter than Jack, anyways.


	76. 76

Getting Ian off the base wasn't much easier than getting him into it, and it was almost 11PM by the time he and Sam drove out of the main gate, well behind Jack and Daniel – who were able to come and go with relative ease.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked Ian after a while of driving in comfortable silence. She'd noticed he was rubbing his shoulder a bit since they'd returned through the gate.

He looked over at her, but she couldn't see his expression in the dark interior of the car. His voice was normal enough though when he spoke.

"I'm fine."

"Shoulder hurt?" She pressed.

"Yeah." Now his voice sounded just a bit rueful. "I probably should have done a bit of stretching before I let myself get bullied into that sparring match."

Sam smiled.

"Nothing like the holidays to get yourself out of shape."

"Well, I am used to running about a million miles a day, you know."

"A _million_?"

"Give or take a few."

She chuckled. But she knew he was right. He was used to doing a lot of running – of course, it was all his own fault since it was punishment for one transgression or another during his school day – but she knew he wasn't complaining.

"Would you feel better if I made you go running in the morning if you don't get up by five?"

It was Ian's turn to chuckle.

"Actually, I think I'll go for a run tonight before I go to bed."

"It's pretty late."

He nodded.

"I know, but the sidewalks are all shoveled, and I noticed earlier that there wasn't any ice on them. I really could use the exercise." Besides, he thought best when he was running, and he had a lot to think about. "I could run down to that school and do a few laps on their track before bedtime."

"It's pretty late…" she repeated, frowning.

Ian smiled; it was nice that she was worried, but he wasn't. It wasn't like she and Jack lived in the ghetto or anything.

"I won't be gone long," he promised as they pulled into the driveway. The house was dark – Jack had to stop and drop Daniel off, after all, and he wasn't there yet. Besides, he'd probably stopped off somewhere to get dinner. "Do you want me to wait until Jack gets home?" Ian asked as they got out of the car. He wasn't sure he liked the idea of leaving her alone.

Sam smiled, and this time he could see it in the soft glow of the porch light.

"Worried about leaving me alone?"

"Of course not…"

Uh huh.

She didn't say anything, though, as she unlocked the door, and he held it open for her so she could precede him into the house.

"You won't be gone long?"

"No, ma'am." He promised. "Scout's honor."

"Were you a scout?"

"For about a week – until I told the scout leader where he could shove his good citizen badge."

Sam laughed. Why wasn't she surprised?

"Just try not to fall and break a leg or something, okay?"

"I'll be careful," he told her. "If the track at the school is iced over, I won't use it."

"Okay."

He headed for his room to change – there was no way he was going to run in jeans if he could avoid it – and Sam went into the kitchen to make a cup of tea. Only a few minutes later she heard him coming back down the hall, wearing white sweats and the white Air Force academy sweatshirt. She was glad to see he was in light colors; at least she wouldn't have to worry about him getting hit by a car.

"Back before you know it," he told her with a grin as he stopped to tie his shoes.

Wondering why she had such a bad feeling about him going jogging, Sam gave him a weak smile and watched as he headed out the door.

"Be careful."

"I will."

He stopped in the front yard long enough to stretch properly – since that was the whole reason he ached just then anyways there wasn't any sense in making it worse if he could avoid it – and then hopped the picket fence easily and headed up the road at a fairly quick pace, his long legs hitting stride quickly.

So… Teal'c was an alien. That was probably something he should have recognized without help, he decided, grinning as he crossed the street and headed along the sidewalk there – it was better cleared than the sidewalk he'd been on, and he didn't want to break a leg anymore than Sam wanted him to. No one was that big without using steroids, and the guy had a definite odd way of speaking when you looked back at it. Of course, Ian hadn't really had all that much contact with him, but as he remembered back to the Kinsey affair, he now knew why Jack had allowed Teal'c to come when he wouldn't allow anyone else to. Teal'c wasn't held accountable to the laws of the country – why would he be – so he couldn't be in trouble if he'd helped Jack actually kill Kinsey. At the worst they would have deported him, Ian supposed.

"Should have given him a fucking medal…" Ian muttered to himself. Kinsey was such a bastard; going after Shawn like that just to get at Jack. You wanted to hurt someone; you went to them, as far as Ian was concerned. Not some little kid. No matter how tough the little kid was.

But the whole alien thing… that brought up another thing entirely, because that opened up possibilities that Ian hadn't ever considered. If aliens were real – and he now knew they were without a doubt real – he wondered what other things that he'd always thought were bullshit were real as well.

Conspiracies and cover-ups galore started through his mind as he crossed the street once more, his breathing still easy and his stride still effortless as he entered the schoolyard and headed for the running track, which appeared to be clear and bare. Kennedy? Area 51? Hey, he'd have to ask about area 51… he remembered once joking to Shawn about running Area 51 when he graduated from the Academy, but that had been a jest. Now that he knew aliens were real, maybe the Area 51 aliens were real, too, and maybe there was something to the whole idea of running such a place – or at least checking it out someday…

He was so involved with his contemplations that he didn't notice the blue Bronco that pulled into the parking lot of the schoolyard, with its lights off, and didn't notice the large forms getting out of it until they were almost upon him as he came around the last turn of the first lap of the running track. Only then did he notice the five men, and they'd blocked the track, forcing him to either stop or turn and run. And Ian would never run.

"Well, well, well…" said the one in front, smiling with absolutely no humor in his expression. "What do we have here…?"


	77. 77

It was the five guys from the scuffle – Ian refused to call it a fight, since the other guy never landed a punch – at the Dairy Queen from earlier that week. The leader of the group, the driver of the Bronco stepped even closer, probably expecting Ian to back down in the face of superior numbers, but the cadet didn't budge.

"Where's your girlfriend?" the guy asked, sneering. "I'd love for her to be here… when we finished kicking your ass, we could have our own little date…"

The other guys gathered around snickered appreciatively, and Ian scowled.

"Why? Your mom's busy on the corner tonight?" Ian asked him.

That was the end of that conversation. With a snarl of rage the driver of the Bronco swung at Ian, and the cadet ducked the blow easily and stepped in, delivering a shot to the guy's side – almost in the exact same spot that he'd hit him the first time they'd met.

There was a grunt of pain, but with his friends behind him, there was no way he was going to back down with one blow. Even a hard one.

"You fucker…" He swung again, his friends egging him on, and Ian blocked the blow as easily as the first. This time, the cadet swung high, and hit him square in the face – a perfect shot that broke the guy's nose. He fell back, holding his gushing nose and swearing.

"_Get him_!"

Enough one on one.

The gang of men jumped him at the same time, and Ian was buried under the assault, fists flying.

OOOOOOOOO

When the door opened Sam was sitting at the table drinking tea and glancing through the math textbook that Ian had been reading. She looked up as Jaffer came rushing over to greet her, his tail wagging wildly and his cold wet nose instantly searching for warm skin to chill as he whuffled her cheerfully.

"I don't have anything for you to eat," she told him, pushing his nose out of her pocket with a smile for Jack, who came up to them carrying a brown paper bag that smelled strongly of French fries and burgers.

"It's okay," he said. "_I_ do."

He bent to kiss her, then looked at the book she was reading.

"Light reading?"

She shook her head.

"It's for a class Ian's thinking about taking next year."

"Where is he? I stopped to get dinner…"

"He went for a jog. Isn't it kind of late for burgers?"

"He went for a jog? _Now_?"

She nodded, noticing that he ignored the question about eating so late - big shock there.

"He was a little stiff from his sparring with Bra'tac, and the best way to work that out is a run – although I admit I didn't really like the thought of him going out so late."

"He's not going to get lost, Sam," Jack said, opening the bag and pulling out fries and burgers – and handing her one. "Not with that memory of his."

"I know…"

She set the burger on the table – she wasn't all that hungry, and was pretty sure that if she ate a double burger and fries before bedtime she'd have wacky dreams.

"But you still didn't like the thought of him going out so late…" Jack said, catching the odd note in her tone of voice, and knowing her well enough to know it meant she had some misgivings.

She shrugged.

"I don't know why. I mean, he's a grown up, and you're right about him not getting lost… but…"

"But?"

"He could slip and break a leg on some black ice or something…"

"Want me to go get him?"

She hesitated but shook her head.

"No… he's probably fine, and I'm probably just having some hormone driven worry session."

He hugged her close, pressing her cheek against his belly since she was sitting and he was standing, and ran his fingers lightly through her hair. She hated having hormones – and they'd been pretty rampant at times the last few months – which of course, wasn't her fault, and he was always quick to remind her of that and to reassure her.

"If he's not back in a while, I'll go see if I need to scrape him up off the sidewalk, okay?"

She nodded, hugging him just as tightly for a moment, before releasing him when Jaffer stuck his nose between the two of them, half-heartedly reassuring her, but mostly looking to get closer to the bag of fries Jack had set in front of Sam.

"I'm sure he's fine."

"Yup."

OOOOOOOO

Ian was still on his feet. That was about all he had to be glad about, since he knew if they managed to drag him down he was as good as finished. He wasn't completely sure how he'd managed to stay up – they were all bigger than him, although for the most part slower and no where near as good at fighting as he was. Unfortunately, they had the numbers, and he couldn't watch them all at once, no matter how fast and good he was.

Two were completely out of the fray. One had been on the receiving end of a snap kick, and Ian had enough force behind it that he was certain the guy had broken a bone in his leg. He hadn't returned to the fight, anyways. He was writhing on the ground, whimpering. The other one had taken an elbow to his stomach and was puking his guts out over to one side. Three on one wasn't as bad as five on one, but Ian knew he had to finish things quickly, because he was hurting, too – although he was hiding it as well as he could.

He took a half step back, trying to watch all three of them out of his right eye – his left had been closed by a punch that had slipped through his defenses. The three weren't in any better shape; the leader of the group had blood smeared all over himself from the broken nose, and the other two were both bleeding as well from smaller cuts caused by blows.

He decided he needed to finish this quickly, because he was having trouble taking deep breaths, which probably meant he had bruised some ribs, and he didn't want it to become more serious if he could avoid it.

Going on the offensive for the first time, he struck out with his right foot at the leader – a fast kick that didn't get blocked. Ian's sneaker wasn't as hard as a boot would have been, but the shoe landed hard in the guy's gut, and he doubled over, right into Ian's left knee, which he'd brought up as soon as his right foot was back on the ground. The Bronco driver screamed in pain when his already shattered nose was slammed into once more, and he fell backwards, blood flying everywhere.

The quick viciousness of the attack left the other two guys stunned, and that was all the time Ian needed. He swept one's feet out from under him while the same time striking at the other with a hard elbow. The one who fell rolled to the side, but he was breathing heavily and in no hurry to get up and face the cadet any time soon, while the one who took the elbow bent over, grabbing his side where Ian had aimed for a kidney, knowing it would hurt worse than anywhere else. The New Yorker brought his knee up again, and missed the guy's nose, but managed a glancing blow off the side of his cheek, which sent the bigger guy to the track.

Standing there for just a moment, Ian couldn't help but be impressed with himself. Come on, he'd just kicked five asses at once – even _Bra'tac _would be impressed by that, right? His anger at being ganged up on long since gone in the pain he was feeling pretty much everywhere, he couldn't even think of a suitable insult for them.

"Fucking hillbillies…"

He turned his back on the five men, and moved off the track and into the snow, headed back for the fence that led to the street. He'd had enough, and they probably had, too, he was sure.

But he was wrong, and he'd just made the one mistake Bra'tac would _never_ have made. He'd turned his back on an enemy who had every reason to hate him. Five on one and they had been beaten, and nothing will make a man lose all reason than to have someone turn his back on him while he's on the ground trying to get his breath back from a serious ass kicking. Fumbling in his coat pocket with hands that were swollen and cut from the fight, the Bronco's driver spit out a mouthful of blood and pulled the small handgun.

"Don't you walk away from me, you little piece of shit! I'll-"

Ian turned, unable to ignore the insult, his hand clutching his own aching side.

"Go fuck yourself you cock suc-"

The shots rang out before he could finish, and Ian felt the blows low, one right where his hand was holding his side, and the other only a little higher. The impact rocked him sideways, and did what the five guys couldn't – knocked him to the ground. Flat in the snow, he tried to get his hands under himself to push up out of the cold, but one hand wouldn't move and the other was pinned under him. And nothing else was working. He couldn't feel anything, and couldn't seem to get his body to do what he was trying to tell it to…

"Oh, _Jesus Christ_!"

The other four stared at their ringleader with shock and fear. It was one thing to get into a fight and gang up on someone; this however, was a line none of them had thought to cross. Hadn't even considered.

"Shit!"

They all staggered to their feet, fear and horror taking over and the pain of their own injuries vanishing. The guy with the broken knee was hauled to his feet and dragged back towards the street where they'd parked, while the other three pulled the driver of the Bronco to his feet as well, all of them staring at the still form lying in the snow, a crimson stain growing under him.

"Let's get out of here!"

They all rushed for the Bronco, not even looking back.


	78. 78

Sam glanced up at the clock on the wall – again – and Jack handed the last of his burger down to Jaffer and stood up.

"How about I go see what's taking him so long?" He said, wiping his hands on his slacks.

She couldn't help but feel relief – even though she knew she was just being silly. It'd been more than half an hour, and even though she knew it was easy to lose track of time when you were running – unless you hated running, of course – she couldn't shake the worry that was increasing with every passing minute.

"You don't mind?"

"Of course not, Sam."

He'd go _run_ with the boy if it would make her feel better. Luckily, he didn't have to do that.

"If everything's okay, though, you can't tell-"

"Him that you were worried about him and sent me out to hurry him along?" Jack's smile was gentle, as were the fingertips that brushed against her cheek. He loved touching her. "Don't worry. I'll tell him we were just out walking."

He picked up his keys and headed for the door, Jaffer right beside him.

"_In the truck_?"

"Well… he probably won't notice."

She smiled and he left, locking the door behind him.

OOOOOOOOO

He heard the sirens almost immediately once he'd gone outside, but he didn't think much of them until he and Jaffer were in the truck and driving towards the school. The sirens had faded away fairly quickly – heading off who knew where – but when he turned the corner and pulled along the schoolyard, he saw a large contingent of police cruisers, lights flashing silently, casting a colorful strobe affect on the police officers and other people who were gathered around an area of the running track.

Now Jack was concerned, because this was where Sam had said Ian was going to go. He pulled up beside one of the cruisers and got out of the truck, and Jaffer bolted out the door right behind him before he could tell him to stay put. The black lab made a beeline for the group of cops, his nose to the ground, and Jack came jogging up behind him, anxious about what was happening.

It's fairly disconcerting to have a dark shape come out of the night and into your midst. Especially one as big and silent as Jaffer was. They all hesitated, and all conversation stopped when the lab came into their group, his nose still on the ground as he checked out the red stain in the snow. Before any of them could grab at his collar, Jack was there.

"Jaffer!"

All heads turned his way, including Jaffer's.

"You need to get your-"

"Colonel O'Neill?"

More than one of the officers recognized him now that he was a bit closer, but Jack recognized the one that said his name immediately. It was one of those that had brought Ian and Cassie's ID s to the house earlier that week.

"Officer Reyes," Jack said, looking at the ground Jaffer was sniffing. "What's going on."

"I was just going tocome find you, Sir," Reyes said, his expression serious. "There's apparently been an incident…"

"With Ian?"

He nodded, looking down at a small notebook in his hand, and then gesturing over at an elderly couple who Jack hadn't noticed before.

"About ten minutes ago, Mr. and Mrs. Phillips here, heard a couple of gunshots outside their window." He pointed at a house that was snuggled right up against the running track. "They saw a group of people running off-"

"What happened?" Jack asked, feeling his stomach clench. There was only one way this story could end, because as far as he could see, one of the main characters was missing. "Is Ian all right?"

Reyes shook his head.

"We're not sure exactly what happened, but he's been beat up pretty badly from the looks of it, and it looks like he was shot three times, even though the Phillips and a few other neighbors we talked to say they only heard two shots."

"They took him to Mercy, Colonel O'Neill," one of the other officers said, trying to nudge Jaffer away from the scene without putting his hand too close to the lab's head. He'd seen those teeth in action a couple years back, and wanted to make sure there wasn't any mistake. "He's lost a lot of blood and was in shock from what I heard, but we haven't heard anything else."

"Do you know who did it?"

"We have an idea…"

"The guys from the Dairy Queen," Reyes said, shrugging. "One of the neighbors thinks she might have seen a large Blazer or a Bronco leaving the scene…"

Jack reached over and grabbed a cell phone out of the breast pocket of the closest officer. Dialing the first person he could think of – besides Sam, since this wasn't something to call her about; he'd tell her in person – he dialed Janet Fraiser's number. She was his doctor, after all, and that was what he needed – a competent doctor.

"Can I borrow this?" He asked belatedly as he listened to the rings.

"Sure…"

OOOOOOOOO

For as long as she could ever remember, phone calls in the middle of the night had always heralded bad tidings. Good news seemed to always be able to wait for morning, but bad news never did. Janet Fraiser knew this, and the moment the first ring broke through her pleasant dreams, she felt a tightening of dread in her chest and belly, even as she woke up, lifting her head from the pillow. She reached blindly for the phone in the dark, waking up the sleeping form beside her when she spoke.

"Hello?"

Emmett rolled over to watch her in the dark, wondering sleepily who'd be calling so late, but he didn't have to wait long for the answer.

"Colonel?"

She was quiet for a moment, and he could see her face go from curious to concerned, to really worried in the space of the short one-sided conversation.

"Where did they take him?"

"I'll meet you there."

She hung up the phone and bolted from the bed.

"What's going on?" Emmett asked, getting out of bed as well and reaching for his clothes. Whatever it was, it was serious.

"Ian's been hurt."

"Ian? The one staying with the O'Neills?"

"Yes." Janet threw on the first clothes she could find, and then reached for a pair of shoes. "I need to get to the hospital, will you wake Cassie and bring her?"

"What do I tell her?"

"That you don't know what's going on – and that I had to go. I'm going to Mercy General." And God help them if they didn't have a better emergency staff on hand than they did the _last_ time she was there.

"I'll bring her…"

She grabbed up her cell phone and headed for the living room for her purse without even saying goodbye, but Emmett understood. He pulled on his shirt and headed for Cassie's room even as he heard Janet's car start up.


	79. 79

It took Jack a bit to get Jaffer to get into the truck. The lab was determined to smell every inch of the track it seemed, and only then did he head back to the truck. With a promise from the police that they'd keep him informed – and after telling them that they could find him at the hospital – Jack headed for the house, trying to figure out how to tell Sam what was going on without upsetting her too much – which could be dangerous for the baby and her both, and worrying about how Ian was.

She heard the truck pull in and was waiting – and trying not to look too obvious about waiting (and failing miserably at it) at the door when Jack walked through, his face drawn and tense. Which told her immediately that not only was something wrong, but whatever it was, it was serious. And since he came in with just Jaffer, it was even more obvious.

"Where is he? Did you find him?"

He shook his head, but then nodded, and pulled her into his arms, suddenly needing to be held.

Now Sam was truly frightened, because this was _not_ a reaction she was ready for.

"Jack?" Her arms tightened around him, and she could feel him trembling a little. "What is it?"

"Ian's been hurt, Sam."

"What?" She tried to pull away, but he held her, still, tightly. "Is he… What happened?"

"The police were at the schoolyard. They say – and they don't know much yet – but they say he was in a… an incident… with those guys they ran into the other day. He's been shot…"

"_What_?"

"They took him to the hospital, and we've got to get there…"

"We need to call Janet-"

Just like Jack, the first thing Sam thought of was that they needed a doctor they could trust to be working on Ian with him.

"I already did. She's on her way, and we need to get there, too."

But he didn't show any signs of being ready to release her just then, and Sam realized that he wasn't holding her because he was worried about her reaction. He was holding her because _he_ needed comfort himself. He liked Ian – _loved_ him, maybe, who knew? And he had to be afraid that they were going to lose him. She held him close for a moment, knowing they needed to hurry to the hospital, but giving him what little reassurance she could. He reacted by holding her even tighter – clinging to her tightly for a full minute before pulling away.

"We should get going."

She nodded, but pulled his head down and kissed him softly.

"Did they say where he was shot? Or what his condition was?"

"They said he lost a lot of blood and was in shock…"

She took his keys from him – she was worried, too, but she had a feeling she was in a better state of mind to be driving than he was – and slid her feet into her shoes and grabbed up her coat, which was hanging by the door.

"We'd better go."

He nodded, and opened the door for her, and Jaffer dashed out before they could decide to leave him home.

OOOOOOOOO

"I should have went looking for him when I got home…"

"And I shouldn't have let him go in the first place…"

"You couldn't have known-"

"And neither could you, Jack," she told him, reaching across and resting her hand on his leg, knowing he'd put his hand over hers – which he did almost immediately. "There's no blame game on this one. _You_ couldn't have seen this coming, and _I_ didn't see it coming, either. Understand?"

He nodded, knowing she was right, and let go of her hand – she was speeding as it was, and she needed her hands on the steering wheel. She was wrong, though, he thought to himself. There _was_ blame to be handed out. He didn't know the whole story, of course, but he did know that Ian didn't have a weapon on him when he went running, and someone else obviously had had a gun. That put that person in the wrong – and Jack was going to make sure that he found that person, and that they paid.

Jaffer snorted, almost as if he were listening in on Jack's thoughts and was agreeing with him.

OOOOOOOOO

He'd been conscious when they'd found him. Conscious and in a lot of pain, since the shock of being shot had started to wear off. He'd heard the sirens getting close and had wondered if they were heading his direction and if he could flag whatever it was down. Of course, that meant getting up, and there was just no fucking way he was going to be able to get up. He'd tried, and there was just something wrong with his hand.

_Shot_ his mind told him. Probably was hit in the hand with the first shot. He remembered feeling the blow there, and now his stomach and hand were both pretty much on fire. Actually, he hurt so much everywhere that he wasn't really sure what hurt the worst, but his hand was way up there on the list.

When the first cop had touched him, Ian had almost screamed in pain. _Almost_. He'd managed to bite it back – along with biting his lip clear through – and had settled for a grunt of pain. But he hadn't been able to tell him what had happened when he asked. Not that he couldn't remember, but he was feeling odd – tired, and dazed in a way he couldn't remember feeling before, and he couldn't get his thoughts organized enough to say anything. Which was a little scary, because he couldn't even think of a good curse when they cut open his sweatshirt to get a better look at his side and stomach. _Bastards_! His mother had bought him that sweatshirt…

Then all the cops were replaced by ambulance personnel; medics and the like, and Ian tried to focus on the questions they were asking him – and they were asking him easy to answer ones, like what his name was – almost as if they understood he was having trouble answering the longer ones.

He _did_ manage to tell them his name, and where he was from, although he couldn't for the life of him figure out if it were Saturday or Wednesday, and he knew they didn't like that. He tried to ask them to call Sam and Jack – they were going to go ape shit over this, he was sure, and he wanted to be the one to tell them what had happened – but either they didn't want him to use a phone, or they didn't understand what he was asking (most likely) because it didn't happen.

They told him to stay awake – they needed him awake and talking to them – but Ian was tired. The pain was receding into a dull throb – maybe they'd given him something – and he was having even more trouble focusing his thoughts. He wondered briefly if he was dying, and hoped not, because he had some serious ass kicking to do once he found that guy with the gun. Fucking _sonofabitch_; pulling a gun in a fight like that.

That anger was enough to get him to the hospital awake, but the lethargy was overcoming pretty much everything else, and the lights in the ceiling of the emergency room they'd taken him to were causing his stomach to turn over, so he closed his eyes, and then couldn't open them up no matter who told him to open them. He didn't know any of them, anyways, and didn't have to do anything they said.

He drifted off, listening to them saying something about surgery, but too tired to care.


	80. 80

Janet Fraiser's house was actually closer to Mercy General hospital than the O'Neill's – although not by much – and Janet was a speed demon when it came to getting someplace she needed to be urgently, so it was really no surprise to Jack or Sam that her car was in the emergency room parking lot when they pulled in. They parked right next to hers, and Jack had to hold Jaffer so Sam could get out of the truck.

"As much as I'd love to have you in there, you can't come," he murmured to the lab, pressing his cheek against Jaffer's jowls to distract the dog while Sam got out. It wasn't like the SGC after all; where Jaffer's status as a guard dog came into play and Jack could pretty much bully anyone into anything – including Janet sometimes. The hospital wouldn't allow him in unless there was a reason – and Jack didn't have a viable reason to take him. He'd have to wait in the truck. In the _cab_, because Jack had a feeling that Jaffer was able to sense his own distress, and would come charging after him the moment he turned his back.

He cracked the window to give Jaffer fresh air, then headed inside with Sam right beside him, trying not to think the worst, but unable to help himself. Pessimism was part of his nature, after all.

There was no sign of Janet when they walked up to the admitting desk – only a nurse that Jack recognized from the other day when he'd brought Ian in with Janet to get his head stitched up – had that only been two days ago? It was obvious she recognized him as well – which was no big surprise, considering the fuss Janet had made at the appalling treatment Ian had received the last time they were there – because she didn't even need him to tell her why they were there.

"Mr. Brooks was taken up to surgery about fifteen minutes ago, Colonel." She said.

"Did Doctor Fraiser arrive?" Sam asked – even though they knew she was there, since they'd seen her car. It was just a polite way of finding out if Janet had bullied her way into the back.

The nurse nodded.

"She asked me to let you know she's going to stand in on the surgery."

That was a relief to them, even though they could both see the nurse was annoyed about it – probably Janet hadn't been polite when she'd insisted on being allowed in. Of course, she would have also brought up her last visit there, and that would have probably been enough – if the fact that Ian was now privy to military secrets that prevented them from allowing him to be alone under sedation with non-military personnel.

"How is he?" Jack asked.

She shook her head.

"I'm sorry, Colonel, I'm not sure. You'll have to wait until the doctors can tell you." She gestured towards the waiting room. "You can wait in there… and someone will let you know how he's doing as soon as possible."

Joy.

Sam put her arm around Jack's waist and pulled him away from the receptionist desk before he could start to argue, and Jack sighed and put his arm around her and allowed her to take him into the waiting room. God, he hated waiting rooms.

"I'm going to call Dotty," he said as Sam sat down in one of the thinly padded chairs. She wondered why they hadn't thought of that earlier. They both knew that Dotty had the ability to heal – and hopefully she wouldn't be averse to using that ability on Ian if the worst should come. Besides, Shawn and River should be told, since they were the closest friends Ian had here. Maybe anywhere.

"Do you want me to do it for you?" She asked him.

Jack shook his head.

"I'll do it, Sam."

He brushed his hand along her shoulder and headed for the pay phones in the hall. He had to get hold of Nathan, too, if he could.

A minute later he was listening to the phone ring, and it was almost immediately picked up. Which was odd for the late hour.

"Hello?"

"James?" Who else would it be? "Hi, it's Jack. I'm sorry to call so late, but I need to speak with Dotty, please…"

"She's not here, Jack," James said. "She and the boys just headed off to the hospital."

"Oh."

How had she known?

"Is there anything I can do?"

"No, James… thanks a lot. I'll talk to you later."

He hung up, and held the phone for a moment, staring at the keypad. He didn't have time to wonder about Dotty – although he did feel relieved that she was enroute. Just as relieved as he felt knowing that Janet Fraiser was with Ian just then. He had other calls to make. Other people to tell. He hung up the phone, and then picked up the receiver, dropping a couple of quarters into the slot and dialing the main operations desk at Cheyenne Mountain.

OOOOOOOOOOO

_"You have to hold on…"_

_He'd been alone only a moment before, floating in a sea of exhaustion and lethargy that was unlike anything he'd ever felt before. At least he didn't hurt anymore. He'd decided that the medics must have given him something pretty powerful, because he wasn't feeling anything just then. It'd probably make dying a little easier, at least – and he was pretty sure he was dying, because even with the lack of pain, he knew he was in trouble. He'd never felt like he felt just then – not even when he'd been attacked by the Ashrak, or when he'd crashed his uncle's car into the side of that building and had knocked himself out for almost five hours._

_He didn't bother opening his eyes when he felt the Presence join him. For one thing, he knew from the last time that there wasn't going to be anyone there, and for another, he wasn't sure he could open his eyes._

_"I_ can't_…"_

_"Of course you can… you don't really want to die, do you?"_

_"No…"_

_"Then you need to hold on. Someone's coming to help you if you need it."_

_"Who?" How could someone help him?_

_"I can't-"_

_"Dotty?"_

_"She's on her way, yes…"_

_"Who_ are _you?" He knew Dotty was the female voice in his head, but he still hadn't figured out the male._

_"I can't tell you, Ian."_

_"You're not_ God_, are you?"_

_There was a gentle chuckle, and Ian felt the amusement of the Presence as well as heard it. It made him feel like smiling, too, even though he didn't know what was so funny._

_"No. I'm not God."_

_"Then who-"_

_"Ian… I_ can't _tell you. If it were someone else, I might be tempted, knowing that they wouldn't remember it anyways, but you're an exception to that rue, and until we know more about why you remember, there's no way I'm going to-"_

_"I never forget anything." Ian said. "I never have."_

_"There's more to it than that, though, boy. There's a reason you remember, and I-"_

_"I'm not a boy."_

_"When you're as old as I am,_ everyone _is a boy," the Presence told him, still amused and more than willing to share that amusement with him. "Just stay with me, Ian. I need you around or I won't be able to figure you out."_

_"Does that mean I'll have a chance to figure you out, too?"_

_He wasn't feeling quite so disjoined while talking to the voice, he realized, and he wondered if the Presence was doing that on purpose – taking his mind off just how bad off he was. If that was the case, it was probably working._

_"Someday you might… if you live long enough…"_


	81. 81

Sam looked up when Jack entered the waiting room again. He walked over and sat down beside her with a heavy sigh.

"Did you get hold of Dotty?"

He shook his head, and Sam put her arm around his waist squeezing it in between him and the chair he was sitting in, and Jack reacted by leaning into her side.

"She's on her way here."

"I thought you didn't get hold of her?"

"I didn't. She was on her way when I called – I got hold of James. Dotty had already left with Shawn and River."

"How did she know-"

"Who knows?" Jack asked. "Maybe some Ancient thing or the other…" He didn't care, either, really. As long as she got here in case Ian needed that healing ability of hers.

Sam nodded.

"Did you call the base?"

"Yeah. They're going to try and get a message to Nathan – although who knows where he and Maggie are in Barbados? And I called the Academy to let them know what's happening as well – they're going to inform the Commandant."

She nodded.

"What-"

She was interrupted by the arrival of Emmett and Cassie, who came into the waiting room just then, Emmett looking rumpled and Cassie looking scared and pale. She went straight to Jack – no shock there – and he stood up and folded her into his arms.

"What happened, Jack?" Cassie asked, even more scared now that she'd had a look at Jack. He looked worried – which he usually hid so well – and Sam was pale, too. "Emmett said mom told him Ian was hurt…"

"We're not sure exactly what happened, Cass," Jack told her, holding her close. "Ian-"

"There was an accident, honey," Sam said.

"It wasn't an _accident_, Sam," Jack snapped, his fear and worry and helplessness all turning into anger and lashing out at the one person he loved more than any, and was the last he'd ever hurt. Who was also the one person who'd never be hurt by the outburst. She knew what he was going through, and understood. "He was shot."

"Shot?"

Cassie drew back, looking at Sam to see if it was true.

Sam nodded.

"Your mom's with him, so we know he's in the best of hands…"

"Yeah"-small comfort, but that was true. Cassie knew her mom was the best. "Have you… heard anything?"

"Who would shoot him?" Emmett asked, curiously. "And why?"

"The police are looking into it," Sam told him, not at all surprised by the question, since Bregman was a journalist, after all. "They think it might have something to do with the-"

She was interrupted by a couple coming in – a blonde woman in her mid twenties was supporting a very mangled looking man who was leaning heavily against her, obviously favoring his knee – which had a splint of sorts immobilizing it. They were in the middle of what was apparently an argument, and the others couldn't help but overhear it.

"…need to get that looked at, because it looks broken to me, and I-"

"I'm telling you, I can't be-"

"If you don't get it looked at it could be dangerous. Besides, your face looks awful – like you got into a fight, and I can't believe you had-"

"I told you, we got into a _car wreck_."

"Well, whatever… you sit down and I'll go get a doctor to look at you." She helped him into a chair on the other side of the room, and Cassie realized that under the bruises, the guy looked familiar. He was too old to be from her school – he looked to be in his mid twenties, as well – but she could have sworn she'd seen him somewhere before.

With Jack's arm still around her she turned to get a closer look, and the guy scowled – apparently not enjoying being the center of attention from a group of people. Before he could say anything though, he paled, and she recognized the look. He recognized her as well. And that frightened him for some reason.

Jack noticed the exchanged looks as well, of course. He didn't miss much that went on around him, even in such a circumstance.

"Who's that, Cass?" He asked quietly, wondering why Cassie seemed to know someone that was way to old for her to be hanging around. He didn't like the sudden tension in the room that was practically emanating from the guy, either.

"I'm not sure…" she said, frowning, and turning to Jack while she answered the question. "He looks familiar, but-" Then she realized where she knew him from. "He's one of the guys from the Dairy Queen, I think…" She said. "You know – when Ian and I-"

She didn't get any further than that. Jack let her go, his face suddenly hard and his eyes cold – so cold that Cassie wondered if there was something wrong with him.

"You're sure?"

"I think so," she said, nodding, curious as to why he was so interested. That was history, after all. "Why?"

"Stay here…"

Jack walked over to stand in front of the chair the man was sitting in, and the guy looked up at him, pale and wary.

"What happened to you?" Jack asked, in a tone that was so devoid of emotion that the guy wasn't sure what to think.

"I got in an _accident_…"

"Yeah?"

While he was talking to him, he was studying him. The guy's face was bruised and bloody – it looked like he'd been in an accident, all right. But he might have been in a _fight_, too, huh? He looked at the knee that was held out in front of the guy.

"Car accident?"

"Yeah…"

"Where?"

"What?"

"Where was the wreck?"

"What do you care?"

"Let's just say I'm writing a book."

"I don't have to answer any-"

They were interrupted by the return of the woman – although she was alone. She looked at Jack curiously, and sat down beside the guy.

"A nurse said she'd be here in a second, Bob."

"What happened to your knee, Bob?" Jack asked.

"Who are you?" The woman asked.

"Jack." Jack said, still looking at Bob. "O'Neill. Colonel Jack O'Neill…"

"I don't know what you want, buddy," Bob said, his voice just a little higher than it had been when he'd been talking to the woman upon his arrival. "But I was in a _car accident_, and I'm not-"

"Where's the car?"

"He said it was a hit and run," the woman said, a little scared by Jack's reaction – although she couldn't understand why Bob was being so defensive all of the sudden. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I don't believe him," Jack said, waving Sam over to him. He kept his eyes on Bob.

Sam came over, along with Emmett and Cassie.

"Sam. There's a police officer in the lobby – I saw him there when I wa on the phone. Go get him."

"Hey! I don't-" Bob was trying to get to his feet, obviously ready to lave as quickly as he could, but Jack stepped close to stop him.

"Cassie? Did you see my truck when you guys came in?"

"Yes."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the keys.

"Go get Jaffer. His leash is in the glove box."


	82. 82

Wife or not, Sam was used to taking orders from Jack, and she turned and headed for the lobby without question. She knew what he was thinking, though. The guys from the Dairy Queen incident were the ones the police had told Jack were their primary suspects, and the minute Cassie had mentioned Dairy Queen – without knowing herself that that was who the police were looking for – she had given Sam reason to watch the exchange between Jack and Bob closely.

Bob was fairly well beat up, Sam decided as Jack was speaking to him. Not only was his knee so swollen that his jeans were going to have to be cut off that leg, but his face as bruised and swollen as well. Sam had seen the aftermaths of many a good fight in her lifetime, and she'd seen the aftermath of several car accidents as well, and she was pretty sure that unless he'd been knocked out of the car (or truck or whatever it was) and tossed into the street to roll around a bit, he'd been in a fight. And it was obvious to her that Jack had decided the same thing.

She understood the police officer, but she wasn't exactly sure why Jack was bringing in Jaffer – unless he was going to do some intimidating. Jaffer was very good when intimidating people.

She spotted the officer immediately, and walked over to him, explaining who she was and what was going on – as much as she knew – and the cop spoke into his radio, letting his dispatcher know what was happening as well and calling for back up to the hospital. (He'd been there waiting to hear about the cadet – and maybe see if he'd be up to giving a statement once he came out of surgery) Over his radio Sam could hear the dispatcher sending other officers to the hospital, and she and the officer turned and headed for the emergency room waiting room.

OOOOOOOOO

Cassie ran through the emergency room admitting room, Jack's keys jingling with each step and ignoring the looks people were giving her. She wasn't sure what was going on, but if Jack wanted Jaffer then she'd get him. She was hurrying because she wanted to get back and see what was going on, because she had a feeling it had something to do with whatever had happened to Ian – and whatever she could do to help with that she'd do.

She ran out the door and up to Jack's truck, where Jaffer was waiting impatiently for her. She unlocked the door of the truck, and opened it, and Jaffer bolted past her, jumping to the ground and heading into the still open emergency room door before Cassie could even think about trying to block his way.

"Jaffer!"

OOOOOOOO

"Look, mister, I don't know _who_ you are, but you can't just start picking on my boyfriend with-"

"I told you who I am," Jack said as Bob tried to struggle to his feet, fear dominating his expression and obviously giving him the added boost he must have needed, because he made it up, leaning heavily on the back of the chair he'd been sitting in.

"I didn't do _anything_," he said, sweating. "Come on, Sharon, we'll come back later…"

She stood as well, moving to support him and ready to leave, even though she wanted him looked at. She didn't like this cold man who was standing in front of them – and didn't understand what was going on.

Rather than chance her being hurt, Jack didn't stop them from moving towards the door – there was a cop on the way, after all, and they weren't moving all that fast. They weren't going anywhere.

He didn't know just how right he was, though. The couple hadn't even made it to the door when a large black form was suddenly there, blocking the way with a formidable show of incredibly sharp teeth and a deep throaty growl that pulled both of them up short, staring as Jaffer made his appearance without Cassie – and without a leash. There was nothing to stop the black lab from attacking, and Bob and Sharon realized that immediately.

"What-"

Behind the lab, Sam appeared with the police officer, and Bob paled further – and Jack wouldn't have expected that to be possible.

"Excuse me, Sir," the cop said – politely – to Bob. "I'd like to talk to you…"

Wilting, Bob sank into the closest chair, his legs wobbly already, but now with fear as well. Cassie arrived on the scene, coming up behind Sam and the cop and stopping, Jaffer's leash hanging limply from her hand, just in time to hear Bob speak up in a soft, scared voice.

"I just want to go _home_…"

OOOOOOOOO

The police officer took control of the situation – although Jack was right beside him the entire time, watching Bob carefully. His backup arrived almost immediately and one of the officers turned out to be Reyes, accompanied by his partner Hall. Both men recognized Bob from the Dairy Queen incident – although Hall called in to the dispatcher, double-checking the names.

Since the Dairy Queen incident was already at the center of attention – due to the participants being the primary people of interest in the shooting – it only took a moment for verification. Bob Danson was, indeed, one of the men that had been involved – just like Cassie said – and now he was their first suspect in custody. But he refused to say a word to the police about anything – claiming repeatedly that he'd been in an auto accident and that he had nothing to do with anything, and he wanted a lawyer.

"There's nothing we can do, Colonel," Reyes told a very frustrated Jack O'Neill just as Dotty arrived in the waiting room with River and Shawn in her wake. "We can't do anything until he gets a lawyer, and we can't take him into custody until he gets medical attention for his injuries."

"He's _lying_, Goddamn it."

Reyes nodded, looking over as a nurse and a police Sergeant escorted Danson back into the medical area to be treated.

"We know. There's no record of any hit and run this evening. We checked. But until we-"

"What's going on, Jack?" Dotty asked, coming over to where Jack was standing, Jaffer and Sam beside him, while Officer Hall talked to Cassandra. River went over to stand with Cassie, but Shawn joined Jack and his mother.

"One of them came in beat to shit and battered, but the bastard claims he was in a car accident…"

"You're sure it was one of them?"

"Yeah. Cassie recognized him first, and even though he's not telling us anything, his story is thin."

"Anemic…" Reyes added, glumly. "But we can't do anything until-"

"Jack can, though," Dotty said. "Go have a man to man talk with him, Jack. Explain to him that you-"

"I can't hear anything about threats," Reyes warned them. "If something happened to Danson after hearing this, I'd have to follow through with it and bring up charges against you – no matter how much I didn't want to." He paused, shrugging. "However… I need to talk to the Sergeant, and I'm sure that I can trust an Air Force Colonel to guard my prisoner while we're talking… couldn't I?"

Jack's eyes took on a gleam that was as predatory as any Sam had ever seen. It was almost chilling.

"Of _course_ you could, Reyes… I'd keep a close eye on him for you… if you needed me to."

"Let's go."


	83. 83

With Jaffer at his side – since no one had the guts to tell him the dog wasn't allowed in there – Jack walked into the private examining room with Officer Reyes. Bob Danson was sitting on an examination table, the leg of his jeans cut open and his leg propped up onto the table while a doctor was probing it gently with his fingers and the police Sergeant looked on. Jack noticed that Danson's wrist was handcuffed to the railing of the bed he was on. Jack approved.

"Sergeant?" Reyes said when they walked in. "I was wondering if I could have a word with you, please."

The Sergeant looked at Reyes suspiciously, but the other cop just smiled slightly.

"Don't worry about the prisoner – I mean… _suspect_. Colonel O'Neill here said he'd watch him for us while we talked."

The Sergeant looked at Jack, who tilted his head slightly, giving him a bland look. The sergeant nodded.

"That's very accommodating of him, isn't it?"

"I thought so."

"I wouldn't want anything to happen to my prisoner, Reyes."

"Don't worry, Sir. Colonel O'Neill's dog is a government attack dog. Nothing can get by him. He'll be here when we get back."

"Okay. Let's go talk. Doctor? Could you come with us? I'd like to know how my… suspect is doing…"

The three men left the room, leaving Jack standing beside the door, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched them walk out. Then the Colonel turned his attention to the man on the table, and without a word he reached over and closed the door. And Bob Danson flinched at the sound of the lock clicking shut. Then turned defensive immediately to hide that fear.

"You can't _do_ anything to me…"

Jack walked over to the table, looking down at the man.

"You really got worked over, didn't you?"

"I was in an-"

"_Accident_…"

"Yeah."

"Alone?"

"Yeah."

"Were you driving the-"

"I don't have to answer anything. You're not even a _cop_!"

"Jaffer…"

The black lab hopped up onto the foot of the table, his eyes on Bob and his expression just as intense as Jack's own. Bob paled, but he couldn't move because of the leg and the cuff on his wrist.

"Don't let him-"

"What?" Jack asked innocently. "He's harmless. But he _hates_ liars, Bob… almost as much as I do…"

"I'm not-"

Jack had had enough. He didn't know how much time Reyes was going to give him, and he didn't want to waste any more of what he had. Besides, his temper was at the limits, and he had no reason to hold back. His hand shot out and before Danson realized what was happening, Jack had him by the throat in a vice-like grip, just this side of choking him. He gasped at the suddenness of the attack, and tried to squirm away, but he couldn't move.

"Let me tell you a few things, Bob," Jack said, his voice cold and his expression hard. "I know you had something to do with what happened. What I don't know is if you're the one that shot Ian or not." The hand tightened enough at that thought that it caused Danson to wheeze in distress, and his eyes widened with fear. Jack didn't notice. "That boy's like a son to me, and if I find out you're the one who shot him, you're not going to need a lawyer, or a trial. You're going to need a _priest_."

There was no mistaking the meaning in that statement, and no disguising the hatred in O'Neill's brown eyes, and Bob shook his head as violently as he could. Jack eased up on his grip just a bit.

"It wasn't me!" He gagged out. "We were just going to rough him up a bit – because he was such a bastard to Zeke and he wanted-"

"Zeke?"

Bob nodded.

"_He's_ the one that shot the kid – not me. I didn't even get a hand on him. He-"

"I don't believe you, Bob," Jack said, bringing his free hand down hard on the broken knee while at the same time tightening his grip on his throat to strangle off the scream of pain before it could call anyone into the room. Tears welled up in Danson's eyes and he looked ready to throw up. Jack waited until the original scream died in his throat, and then loosened his grip a little once more, leaving his other hand on the injured leg, and Bob whimpered.

"It wasn't me… I swear… it was Zeke who shot him… I just… I was just there… please…"

"Where do I find this guy?"

"I can't-"

The hand moved, striking the knee again, and again Jack choked off the cry of pain before it could draw attention to the room. Again he waited until the loudest of the moans died, and then loosened his grip.

"I'll ask you really slow, in case you don't understand the question. Where do I find this guy?"

"He's _hiding_! At his Aunt's garage… 554 Rainer Ave! Oh God, please let me go… didn't shoot him, I swear…"

Tears were coursing down the man's cheeks and snot was running out of his nose, but Jack ignored all that. He wasn't quite finished. There was more than just this guy and the other guy involved, and he wanted the story.

"Tell me what happened. _Exactly_ what happened – and use _little_ words, okay? If I think you're lying to me, I'll turn my dog loose on you, and if you think you're hurting now, wait until he's done with you…"

Danson whimpered, turning to look at Jaffer, who was standing on the bed, his ears and head flat, and his teeth plainly visible since his lips were drawn back in a decisively threatening posture. He didn't like this guy at all, and he would love it if Jack gave him the signal to attack. It was obvious to Jack – who knew him so well – but it was just as obvious to Bob, who didn't doubt it for a moment. His throat raspy and sore, his eyes wide with fright and his knee throbbing so badly it was probably going to fall off any minute, he started talking.

"We were driving down the road… just coming back… from a party, when Zeke saw the kid-"

"His name's _Ian_, you sonofabitch, and he's more a man than you'll ever be – don't you ever forget that, _Bob_. Ever."

Nodding fearfully, Danson agreed, and continued talking…


	84. 84

Author's Note: On the off chance that the site goes down, I'll remind those of you who don't know, that there is a forum where I also will post these chapters so you don't have to wait to read them and I don't have to wait to post them. All chapters will eventually end up here, though, once the site gets back up. A link to the forum is in my profile – and you don't have to join to read the messages.

OOOOOOOO

_"You're doing great, Ian."_

_"I feel like shit."_

_"Just hang in there. You're going to be fine, just don't rest until I tell you that you can, okay?"_

_"Can't you do something…?"_

_"You don't need me to do anything, son. You're going to be fine. Help is here, and as long as you keep fighting to stay with me, you're going to make it through this."_

_"I'm pretty tired."_

_That was an understatement. He was exhausted, and drained in a way he'd never felt before._

_"You've lost a lot of blood. You'll feel better soon. Just don't sleep."_

_Ian snorted._

_"Ironic that I want to sleep now, when I haven't wanted to in months…"_

_"So stay awake so you don't have to worry about the nightmares."_

_"I'm not afraid of the nightmares…" And even if he were, he'd still be so tired that he probably wouldn't have them. "Tell me about Dotty. What is she?"_

_"I can't tell you that."_

_"What are you?"_

_There was gentle amusement. Everything about this conversation was gentle, Ian noticed. It was good, though, because he wasn't really feeling up to anything confrontational._

_"You know I can't tell you," the Presence told him. "So don't try to trick me into it. How about I tell you a story, instead?"_

_"I'm a little old for stories, don't you think?"_

_"A person can never be too old for stories," he was corrected. "Stories are good teachers."_

_"What's the story about?"_

_"Do you want to hear it?"_

_Ian sighed, figuring sure the moment he said yes, he was going to hear about unicorns and virgins and leprechauns with pots of gold stuck up their asses. But he nodded anyways – or tried to. He couldn't seem to get anything to move for him._

_"Sure, tell me a story." He said. "But if I fall asleep, it'll be your fault…" For boring him._

_There was a soft chuckle._

_"A long time ago – so long ago that the numbers don't even matter – there was a race of people who called themselves the Ancient Ones. These people were a very powerful…"_

_Ian perked right up after hearing the first sentence. The_ Ancient Ones _had to be the same as the_ Ancients _– the people who built the Stargates._

_"Right. Now let me continue…"_

_"Sorry."_

_"These people were a race of powerful beings, but they were, for the most part, good hearted people who…"_

_And so the story started. And Ian listened; his mind taken once more off just how tired he was and how badly he wanted to sleep as he listened to what was probably the most fascinating story he'd ever heard. And the time passed._

OOOOOOOO

By the time Reyes and the Sergeant came back, Jack was once more standing by the door, his arms crossed nonchalantly as he watched Danson, and Jaffer in a guarding stance next to him, his eyes also watching the man on the table who was still weeping softly – although there weren't any more marks on him now than there were when the two police officers had left.

"Thank you for watching him for me, Colonel," the Sergeant said, looking over at his prisoner and wondering what had happened to cause such a reaction.

"It was my pleasure," Jack said. Meaning it. "Reyes, I need to talk to you for a moment. Sergeant, you might want to keep your prisoner away from a phone until further notice."

Which told both of them that Jack had managed to get something they could use – and didn't want Danson to have a chance to warn anyone that he'd talked.

"Sure…" Reyes said as the Sergeant nodded. "I'll walk you back out to the waiting room."

They left the room as the doctor walked in, and as soon as the door was closed behind them, Jack started telling the police officer what he'd been told. None of it – especially the confession he'd just gotten – could be used in a court of law, but the address was extremely helpful and Reyes was on the radio the moment he had the address of the garage that Zeke Lang was supposedly hiding in. Before Jack had finished the bare bones of the story, the police were already heading for the garage.

"What did you do to that guy to get him to tell you that?" Reyes asked, curiously.

"I didn't do anything," Jack lied. "He must have thought I was a priest or something, and felt like confessing."

Reyes snorted.

"I'm going to go start rounding up the other suspects – Hall and I can identify them, so we're going to go with the teams that are sent, and do that. Care to join us?"

Jack shook his head.

"I'm not leaving here." Not until he was certain Ian was going to be okay – and he still hadn't heard anything from Janet Fraiser. He didn't know if that was bad news or good news, and he looked at a clock in the hallway as they entered the waiting room. "I'd appreciate it if you kept me in the loop, though – especially on this Lang guy…"

"Will do." It was the least they could do considering the help the Colonel had been.

Jack shook his hand, and he and Jaffer headed over to where Sam and the others were sitting, while Reyes left the room.

They all looked up when Jack came over, and he sat down next to Sam, gathering her into his arms even though he felt dirty after spending so much time with Bob Danson.

"Have you heard anything from Janet?"

Sam shook her head.

"The nurses still don't know anything."

"He's hanging in there," Dotty said from the chair she was sitting in, Shawn on one side of her and Cassie on the other. The woman was so calm that Cassie had gravitated to her without realizing it. "He's a tough kid, from what I hear," she added, looking over at Jack. "I'm sure he's going to be fine." Which told him quite plainly that if Ian needed her, she was more than willing to take matters into her own hands – and that she'd know somehow if he _did_ need her.

Jack nodded, resting his chin on Sam's blonde hair.

"Yeah, I'm sure he is…"

"What did you find out, Jack?" Emmett asked, curiously. "You were gone an awfully long time."

"A lot," Jack admitted. "It's fairly graphic, though…" Meaning it might upset the fainter of hearts in the room. But they all turned towards him, and their expressions were identical – they all wanted the story and none of them were faint of heart. He let go of Sam, and reached for her water glass and took a sip before settling into a bit more comfortable a position.

"Apparently," he said. "They weren't actually out looking for him tonight – they just happened to find him while he went for his run."

"He went _running_?" River asked, shaking his head.

"Something about not wanting to be out of shape when he went back on Monday," Sam said with a faint smile.

"Makes sense," Shawn said, his brown eyes holding just a little bit of humor.

"Go on, Jack," Dotty said. "I'd like to hear the story – without a million interruptions, please…"

"It's not a long story," Jack said, shrugging. "They – _they_ being the five guys that you and Ian ran into at Dairy Queen the other day – came upon him while he was running and decided to set things strait, since apparently they decided Ian got the better of them that day and they couldn't handle that. What they really planned to do – according to the slimeball I talked to – was to scare him off or make him back down. Something that would make him look as foolish as he'd made them look."

"Only Ian didn't back down, did he?" River asked, well able to imagine how his hot-headed roommate would have reacted to _that_.

"Nope. Not in the least. He made a comment about one's mother and they jumped him."

"With _guns_?" Sam asked, shaking her head in amazement.

Jack shook his head.

"Hand to hand, is what I was told. He managed to fight them down – look at what he did to Danson, after all – and was walking away when one of them yelled at him, and then pulled his gun and shot him as Ian was turning around. They didn't wait around after that. They all took off, and probably thought they were going to get away with it until Danson came looking for medical treatment, and was recognized by Cassie…"

He trailed off, then, because they knew the rest of the story from there.

"So the police know who to go looking for," Sam said.

Jack nodded.

"They're already on their way. They'll get them - at least these guys better hope the police get them..." He didn't say anything else, but he didn't need to.


	85. 85

The room fell silent after that as they all waited for word from Janet or a different doctor. As time passed, Daniel and Teal'c both arrived – along with Sally, who had been with Daniel when he'd heard the news and had wanted to come to see how Ian was doing as well. Hammond arrived as well, and although he claimed he was only there in his capacity as the CO of Cheyenne mountain so he had to make sure that no secrets were revealed that shouldn't be, none of them were fooled in the least – especially Jack.

Only moments after Hammond arrived, several other Air Force officers arrived – instructors from the academy. These men and women weren't all in uniform, of course, but had come when they'd heard, because even though Ian wasn't one of the most popular students – and wasn't even a _student_ of some of theirs, he _was_ one of their own, and they were all worried about him. And rightfully indignant that anyone would dare attack one of their own. Although they couldn't help but be pleased at the fact that Ian had almost managed to hold his own against superior numbers.

The waiting room was filled, and the only people missing were Nathan and Maggie – who Hammond said they were still trying to reach, but they seemed to have dropped off the face of the Earth. He had his cell phone with him, though, and expected a call anytime. The tension in the room grew as the hours passed – it seemed it was far too long to be good news – and the sun was beginning to rise on what was going to be a beautiful day by the time Janet Fraiser finally made an appearance at the entrance to the waiting room.

Jaffer was the first to notice her – no surprise there. The lab woofed softly, warning Jack, who'd been holding a dozing Cassie between him and Sam – almost like they used to on rare occasions when she'd been littler. O'Neill looked at Jaffer, then the direction the lab was looking, and woke Cassie with a soft touch, and stood up. Followed by the others – all of who were alerted by Jack or Jaffer – the Colonel walked over to Janet, who looked tired, but not tense as she might have if it were bad news.

"Doc?"

"He's going to be fine, Colonel…" she said. "They're moving him to recovery now."

There was a sound in the room – the sound of twenty plus people all breathing a sigh of relief at the same time – and the room was filled with happy babbling as the others all started talking to each other or trying to ask Janet questions, pressing in tightly around her and Jack until Jaffer was squeezed in tightly between him and Janet and not at all happy about being smooshed.

He growled, the low thunderous noise catching the attention of those closest to him, and causing most of them to back up. Much to Janet's relief. She was too tired to answer a ton of questions, anyways. Jaffer moved a little, back against Jack's thigh, and O'Neill patted him cheerfully as he looked at Janet, asking her silently for more information.

"He was shot twice," she said. "But it looks like his hand was over his side or something, because one of the bullets went through his hand and then into his side. There was a lot of tissue damage, and a bit of nerve damage to the hand. The other bullet hit his ribs and ricocheted, glancing off his shoulder and back down where it tore through his chest cavity. That was the one we were having the most trouble with."

"Is he going to make a full recovery?" Jack asked, frowning at the list of injuries.

She shrugged, looking over at Dotty.

"With _help_, he could. As it is… we think he might have only partial use of his right hand and-"

"Can I see him?" Dotty asked.

Janet smiled, relieved, and nodded.

"Yes."

"Me, too." Jack said quickly.

"And me." Sam added.

Janet hesitated, but nodded.

"Not Jaffer, though, Colonel. I'm sorry, but I really can't risk him on the bed, and you know how-"

"I'll watch him, Jack," Shawn said, taking the leash from the chair it'd been sitting on and snapping it on the lab's collar. "He'll stay with me, won't you Jaffer?"

Jaffer wagged his tail. He _might_, if they went to the vending machine and got some chips or something.

Jack nodded his thanks, and Janet led the three of them back into the examination area, and then beyond, into an elevator where she pushed the fourth floor button.

"He looks terrible," she warned them, softly. "They _really_ worked him over."

"You should see the other guys," Jack said.

Janet gave him a tight smile, but she didn't say anything else as the door opened and the four of them headed into a room labeled recovery.

"He's still out of it from the surgery," Janet said, speaking quietly still as she pulled back the privacy curtains – which also were used as a noise reduction aid – and revealed Ian's bed to them.

Sam couldn't help the sharp intake of breath when she saw him, because Janet was right; he looked awful. His handsome face was swollen and bruised, and he had a black eye that was swollen shut. His chest was bare, but covered in bandages as thick as any she'd ever seen on Jack, and she could see a few deep purple bruises where there weren't bandages. His right hand was heavily bandaged as well, as was his shoulder and neck, and there were tubes and wires everywhere, connected to all sorts of machines that looked familiar to her from their own infirmary.

"Oh, God…"

Obviously Jack was just as affected by the sight, because his arm – which had been around Sam in case she'd needed bracing – tightened and she could hear his own intake of breath as he gasped.

"I would say it's not as bad as it looks," Janet said, looking down at the young man in the bed. "But I'd be lying. He _is_ going to live, though."

Making sure the room was empty except for them, Dotty moved to the side of the bed.

"I can make sure he does more than just survives," she said.

"Yeah…" Jack hesitated. "Dotty… there's going to be an investigation on this… and the police are going to need to see how bad he looks an-"

She smiled, reaching her hand down to run her fingers lightly through Ian's dark hair, feeling a row of stitches but no swelling.

"I understand, Jack," she assured him. "I'll make sure the outside still looks as bad as it does now, but I'm not going to let the inside remain as it is – he's _really_ banged up inside. No one will notice except for his doctors."

"We should transfer him to the SGC," Janet said as Dotty closed her eyes and rested her hand on Ian's chest. "Once he's stable enough to move and the police have their chance to talk to him, I'd rather get him under my complete care than to leave him here." It was obvious that while she had no complaints about the medical treatment the cadet had received, she'd prefer to be in charge of his recovery herself. Big shock there.

"We'd have to transfer him anyways," Sam said. "He needs to be under guard any time he's on medication – now that he's privy to certain… intelligence matters. It'd be easier to just put him someplace secure than bring guards to him."

Besides, then she'd be able to see him without having to make an extra trip anywhere.

Jack nodded. He'd rather have Ian close at hand, too.

"We'll talk to Hammo-"

Dotty opened her eyes and moved her hand, and looked down at the cadet, drawing Jack's attention as well as everyone else's.

"Did it-?"

Ian's less swollen left eye opened before he could finish the sentence, and he looked up at them, dazed and obviously drugged to the teeth. His unfocused gaze took in those around him without his head moving at all, and he stopped when he saw Dotty.

"_You're an Ancient_…"

His voice was hoarse, and raspy, and nothing louder than a whisper, but it was clear to all of them.

"Yeah… I'd say the sooner we get him to the SGC the better," Sam said, wryly.

There was no disagreement from anyone.


	86. 86

"Ian, that's a secret, you know…"

The cadet looked at Jack, and then turned his head painfully to look at Sam.

"You'd better not tell Sam, then, huh?"

Jack smiled.

"She already knows."

"Does Doctor Fraiser know, too?"

"Yes."

"It's not much of a secret, then, is it?"

Sam chuckled.

"It is, actually," Jack told him. "What I'd like to know is how _you_ know it?"

"The voice told me."

"The voice?"

"Yeah…" Ian trailed off, looking up at the ceiling, his dark eye still fairly dazed. "But he's a secret, too, right? Shhh…"

"Um… yeah…"

Jack looked over at Fraiser, who shrugged and smiled.

"He's on some very strong medication, Colonel. You'd be lucky if he could tell you his full name right now…"

"Ian Michael Brooks." Ian told her, turning to look at her and wincing.

"We should probably let him get some rest," Dotty said, noticing the wince. "I helped him, but he's still going to be in a lot of pain – many of those bruises are fairly deep."

Janet nodded her agreement. She was glad he'd already woken up and was able to talk to them, but she wanted him to have a chance to sleep now that she'd had a chance to see that he was – more or less – in full possession of his faculties.

"He needs to sleep," she told them.

"He needs someone with him, though," Jack said, scowling. He didn't like the thought of Ian being alone with the hospital staff – already he'd confirmed that there was no way he was going to be able to throw the medication enough to keep secrets that they definitely couldn't have shared. Besides, he wanted to stay with him.

"I'll stay with him, Colonel," Janet assured him. "You go tell the others that he woke up and is going to be fine."

"Will we be able to come back?" Jack asked.

She nodded.

"Once Sam has a chance to get some rest."

Now it was Sam's turn to frown.

"I'm fine, Janet. I-"

"You need to make sure that you are resting regularly and not stressing," Janet said. "Last night was undoubtedly rough on you and Colonel O'Neill – but moreso on _you_ – since he's not pregnant and you are."

It was a calculated move on Janet's part, because she'd recognized the signs of Jack getting ready to argue with her, and had used the one thing that would work every time to get him to do what she wanted. Sam. Of course, she'd meant it; Sam did look tired and needed to get some rest.

Predictably, Jack nodded. He'd argue about anything but Sam's health – which he trusted completely to Janet.

"I'll take her home and come back-"

"I'm not going home," Sam said, indignantly. "I'm not going to break and I don't need you two telling me what-"

"Sam…"

She stopped her annoyed tirade at the sound of Ian's whisper and looked down at him and he reached out his unbandaged hand towards her. Knowing just how much that had to hurt, Sam took it and supported it for him.

"Go ahead and go home," he told her, giving her a weak smile. "I'm just going to sleep anyways, and that's not very interesting…"

She sighed, but the same connection the two of them had that made it possible for her to tell him what to do also worked the other way, and she didn't argue with him. He looked too awful to argue with.

"You'll be okay?"

"Of course."

She smiled, and squeezed his hand gently and then lowered it back to the bed.

"Fine. Jack and I will go home and get some rest and then we'll come back and spend some time with you when you're feeling a little better." She looked at Jack. "Won't we?"

Which meant that she wasn't going to let him sneak back and visit him while she was stuck at home. Jack scowled, but nodded.

"Sure." He reached down and touched Ian's leg. "But if you wake up and need something-"

"I'll call."

Jack nodded again and looked at Janet.

"I'll have Hammond leave a guard here so you can get some rest, too."

She nodded, not denying the fact that she could use a break. It'd been a long night for her, too.

"Will you ask Emmett to take Cassie home for me?"

"Cassie's here?" Ian asked.

Sam smiled.

"A lot of people are, Ian. They've been worried about you."

"They shouldn't be. I'm not worth losing sleep over."

"I think they'd disagree," Sam told him, leaning over and pressing a gentle kiss against his forehead. "And they'd be right."

He blushed, but didn't say anything, and Jack smiled.

"We'll be back."

He caught Sam's hand and with Dotty accompanying them, they all headed for the door, and Janet went around the bed, checking all the wires and then comparing readouts form the machines now to those that had been taken before Dotty's visit. The change was substantial, but nothing that couldn't be explained. Ian was young and healthy, after all, and those were the ones that recovered from traumatic injuries the quickest.

"I'm not dying?" He asked her, watching her as she worked.

She shook her head.

"You're going to be fine."

"I feel awful."

"I bet you do."

Janet rested her hand lightly on his chest, checking the rise and fall of his ribcage while he breathed without pressing down against it to hinder his breathing. Despite how tired he was, Ian watched her, still, trying to figure out what she was doing.

"You should sleep."

"I know."

"But you won't?"

"I can't with you watching me…"

She smiled, and moved her hand from his chest.

"I'll leave you alone, then, but you'd better be asleep by the time I come back."

"Yes, Ma'am."

She left the room, but stopped right outside the door, looked down at her watch and waited exactly one minute before going back in. When she returned to his bedside, she found him sound asleep. She shook her head, and went back to checking his monitors.


	87. 87

When Ian woke next, he was in a different room than the one he'd been in the last time. This one was bright and airy, with a huge window to his left that allowed sunshine to stream in – although it wasn't directly on his face, which would have been uncomfortable. It was also smaller, but cozier, and the privacy curtains were pulled back, revealing that his was the only bed in the room.

His own private room.

Huh.

He tried to lift his head to look around, but that hurt his neck and shoulder. And not just a little. The first stabbing of pain was quickly followed by a throbbing in his side that wouldn't ease no matter how many different ways he tried breathing, and about the time he was going to start really bitching about hurting, his head decided to join in the fun and started throbbing as well – in time to his heartbeat which was going faster now that he was awake and feeling pain.

"Jesus…"

"Hey, you're awake, huh?"

A voice he didn't recognize spoke to him from just to his left, and ignoring the pain as well as he could, he turned his head. And saw a Marine Sergeant standing near the door.

"Who are you?"

"Sergeant John Acker. Your guard for the afternoon."

"Afternoon?"

"Yeah."

"What time is it?"

The Marine looked at his watch.

"15:47. That's three-"

"I know how to tell time, Jarhead…" Ian interrupted.

Acker shrugged.

"Next time you can look at the clock on the wall you little dipstick." He pointed to the wall at the foot of Ian's bed, which had a clock right there on it.

Ian smiled.

Touché.

"You're my guard?" Ian asked, changing the subject.

"Yup."

"What for?"

"In case your mouth runs away with you," Acker drawled. "Of course, I can't _imagine_ that happening… you seem like such a quiet, likeable kid…" Oh, that _was_ sarcastic, wasn't it? Ian would have enjoyed the conversation a bit more if he wasn't feeling like he was going to implode from pain at any minute, but he did have to admit he liked this Marine.

"What are your orders?" He asked him, curiously.

"To watch you, and make sure you don't wake up and spout off something that you shouldn't – and to report to Doctor Fraiser when you wake up."

"Well?"

"Well, what?"

"I'm awake. Shouldn't you be reporting that?"

The Marine smiled; he might have been pissed off to be getting attitude from the little pecker, but he'd heard what had happened, and had seen the guy with the broken knee that had ended up being admitted into the hospital for surgery on that knee. He figured the kid couldn't be that bad if he had the stones to go up against five guys and manage to take them down.

"I'm waiting for you to say the magic word."

"Fuck you."

Close enough.

With a snort of amusement the Marine left the room, and a moment later Janet Fraiser walked in, looking a lot better than she had the last time Ian had seen her. At least, looking like she'd gotten some rest. She walked over and rested her hand lightly on his cheek.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine."

Janet frowned. That wasn't going to do. Why was it everyone thought they were _fine_ when she asked them how they were doing? How was she supposed to treat _fine_?

"I need a bit more than that, Ian. If you're hurting, I need to know it so I know if I need to give you some painkillers, and I need to-"

"I hurt," he interrupted, not ready to put up with a lecture, even when he was on his back. "A little…"

A _lot_, from what Janet could see, to judge by the way he was wincing, and the shallow breathing and the beads of perspiration on his forehead. She was good at reading those signs in her patients, after all.

She reached over and pressed a button at the base of his main IV, allowing the flow of a dose of painkillers directly into his bloodstream, and noticed the effects immediately when his tight expression eased up a bit.

"Better?"

He nodded.

"Thanks."

She smiled and used a wet cloth to wipe his forehead free of the sweat, and to cool it a bit. He was running a slight fever, although there was no sign of infection, and she didn't think there would be.

"There's a long line of people waiting to see you…"

"Yeah?"

She nodded.

"I sent everyone home – well, you sent Sam and Jack home, but I sent the others – but they're all back now, and anxious to talk to you themselves to make sure you're really going to live."

"And I _am_, right?" He remembered asking her that the last time he'd been awake, and her affirmative answer.

She nodded, again.

"Jack and Sam have both been sitting with you, but I kicked them out to go get something to eat. So you can choose; the police, the Commandant of the Air Force academy, your roommates – who have promised to be on their best behavior, General Hammond, or my daughter." She gave him a bland look. "I suggest you go in order of rank – but start with the police, who seem almost desperate to get a statement from you."

"Did they find the guys?"

Janet nodded.

"One of them is here in the hospital – and I know for a fact another has been treated elsewhere for a broken nose and a bruised kidney."

"That must be the guy that shot me… I got a lucky hit on him."

"I'd say you were lucky all around," Janet told him, smiling. "So who do you want to talk to first?"

"The cops, I guess," Ian said. It wasn't who he _really_ wanted to talk to first, but it made sense.

"I'll send them in."

She left the room, and a couple minutes later, Sergeant Acker returned with two police officers – one Sergeant and one that Ian recognized as Officer Reyes from the Dairy Queen incident. With Acker standing over them to make sure they didn't ask anything that was classified, or that Ian didn't give any information other than what was pertaining to the case, Ian gave them a statement, easily pointing out the pictures of all five men when handed a book filled with mugshots, and telling them exactly what happened – which didn't differentiate much from what Bob Danson had told Jack the night before.

When the police were finished, they thanked him and told him they'd get in touch with him soon, and then left, and Janet came back into the room to check on how he was doing before allowing him another visitor.

"General Hammond or the Commandant?" She asked.

"Cassie…"

Janet raised an eyebrow at that, but Ian didn't make her ask him for an explanation.

"I don't feel like being grilled anymore," he admitted. "I want someone who isn't going to ask me what happened, or reassure me that the guys who did it are going to be taken care of. I want someone restive and quiet – which rules out Shawn and River, and since my mother wasn't on that list of people you gave me, Cassie will do…"

Still looking slightly suspicious – even though the explanation made complete sense, Janet nodded.

"I'll be right back…"

She wasn't, though. A minute later when the door opened, Ian saw Cassie come through it, looking scared and pale. He gave her the best smile he could manage, and frowned when she got closer, because he could see tears were welling up in her eyes, and coursing down her cheeks.

"Hey… what's wrong?" Ian asked her. "Don't worry, Cassandra, I'm not going to look this bad for long, I promise…"

He tried to reach his hand out to her, but she was on the wrong side, and he couldn't reach her with his good hand.

Cassie came over to the other side, and for lack of a better place to sit, she carefully sat on the edge of his bed, like she'd seen so many others in the SGC do in her mother's infirmary. Only now, she knew why they'd always looked so tired and worried. She took his good hand, and he squeezed it, trying to reassure her, but the tears kept falling, despite her efforts to hide them, and to brush them away.

"Cassandra…" Ian hated seeing her cry, and his heart was just turning to goo to watch her hurting so. Especially over him. "Don't be like that. I'm fine… and even if I wasn't, I'm an asshole, remember? You're not supposed to be worried about guys like me…"

He didn't have a free hand to brush the tears away, or he might have tried to, but Cassie brushed them away herself.

"I was so scared…"

"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to sca-"

He was cut off when Cassie leaned over and brushed her lips against his, ignoring the fact that his lower lip was swollen from a punch. Ian released her hand and brought his good hand up to the back of her neck, gently holding her in the position she was in for a long moment as he returned it, not deepening it, but telling her in that kiss that he was sorry, and that she didn't have to worry about him, he was going to be fine and she was, too-

Then there was the sound of someone clearing their throat conspicuously, and Cassie jerked her head up, guiltily, and both of them turned towards the door.


	88. 88

Cassie blushed a brilliant shade of red as she realized who was at the door watching them, but Ian only paled. Not because of the sudden company, but because he'd jerked his head sideways, and the movement had been to sudden and a spasm of pain from his injured shoulder washed over him – even with all the painkillers he'd been given.

Jack's immediate scowl softened at the sight, and he bit back the retort he'd been prepared to make.

"Your mother wants to see you, Cass," he told the girl sitting on the edge of Ian's bed so intimately.

Cassie nodded, and looked down at Ian, realizing that he seemed to be in a lot of pain all of the sudden.

"Are you okay?"

He forced a tight smile and nodded as well as he could.

"Fine. Go on, see what she needs…"

She stood up and headed for the door.

"I'll be back."

"He'll be here," Jack told her, shooing her gently out of the room.

He waited until the door was closed, then crossed the small room and looked down at him, his face about as expressionless as Ian had ever seen it.

"You do realize if I wasn't so glad you're alive, I'd kill you, right?"

"_She_ kissed _me_…"

Well… yeah, that was pretty obvious, even to someone who pretended to be as dumb as Jack did. Besides, Ian definitely wasn't up to chasing anyone around his hospital room. However…

"You kissed her back…"

"She was crying…"

Bah. Fine. He lost the intimidating look – it wasn't really working on Ian anyways – and took the spot that Cassie had vacated. Anyone could see Cassie had been crying, and she'd walked right past Jack, after all.

"She was worried about you."

"Yeah, I know…" He tried to shift in his bed, but couldn't manage it without hurting himself, and gave up. "Crazy woman…"

"_Girl_," Jack corrected.

Ian snorted softly, but didn't argue, figuring he was probably lucky that Jack wasn't mad about the whole kiss thing. At least, he didn't think he was mad.

"Okay."

Since he still hadn't regained his normal coloring, Jack frowned.

"Hurt?"

"Like a Sonofabitch…"

Jack took hold of the base of the IV holder, and showed Ian the button there.

"If you press this, it'll give you a dose of painkiller."

Ian nodded, and was sorry for it immediately.

"I know. I had some earlier. It's just not doing the trick. Not that I'm _complaining_, though. As glad as you are that I'm alive, I'm just as relieved, I assure you…"

Jack smiled.

"We're going to have you transferred to Cheyenne Mountain tomorrow morning."

"I have to be back at school tomorrow."

"That's not going to happen. What will probably happen is that we – and I don't mean _me_ – will get your course work for you and you can work on it while you're down. From what we've been told, your instructors don't seem to think you're going to fall behind if you're not in their classes for a month or so."

"A _month_?"

"Maybe longer."

"I'm not hurt that badly, Jack…" He knew what had been done for him, and he knew that even though he was really hurting now – and oh fucking goodness was he hurting just then – he wasn't going to be hurting this badly for a month. "A couple weeks, maybe…"

"Except that then people will wonder about your rapid – way too rapid – recovery, and there will be questions raised. Questions that we – and I mean _we_ – are not going to be answering, and want to avoid at all costs. In this case, that means that you are the guest of the SGC for the next month – probably into the new year."

"Shit."

"It's not so bad," Jack said, stopping himself from patting Ian reassuringly at the last minute. _That_ would have hurt. "We can find a lot for you to do around the place while you're pretending to be recovering."

"Yeah?" Ian asked. "Got a lot of supply closets that need inventoried?"

"You volunteering?"

Ian made a face – which looked awful considering how bad his face already looked, and Jack smiled and rested his hand on the cadet's arm.

"We'll keep you from getting bored."

"I'm sure."

"Anyways… River and Shawn have to head back to the academy today and they want to see you before they go. Are you up for that?"

"Sure."

"I'll go get them – but Fraiser's not letting anyone stay long, so don't expect an extended visit."

Since he didn't think he could handle an extended visit, he wasn't too worried about that.

"Okay."

Jack hesitated, looking down at the cadet as he got up.

"You really look awful."

"You should see the other guys…" Ian told him, trying to make light of things a little, and ease the concerned look on Jack's face.

"I have," Jack told him seriously. "One of them, at least. He looked almost as bad as you do."

"You could have done better?" Ian asked, sarcastically.

"_I_ would have dodged the bullets," Jack told him, a smile lighting his eyes and his expression.

Ian chuckled, wincing at how much that hurt the bruises on his ribs and pressed his good hand against his side.

"I'll go get your roommates," Jack told him. "They're worried about you, too."

"Yeah… well…"

"I don't expect you'll be kissing _them_ to make them feel better…?"

"She kissed me, Jack…"

"You make sure you tell Janet that when she finds out," O'Neill told him with a smile as he headed for the door. "She's the one with the big needles that you'll be answering to – especially for the next month or so."

He was gone before Ian could decide if he was joking or not.


	89. 89

A short time after Jack left, the door to his room opened once more, and River's blonde head came peeking through, looking around the room and then at Ian. The rest of the Californian came into the room a moment later, followed by Shawn, and the two cadets walked over to stand by the bed.

"You look like shit," River said, softly, frowning.

"I _feel_ like shit," Ian agreed.

"We can't stay long," Shawn said, "but we wanted to make sure you were okay…"

Ian looked at the two of them from the non-swollen eye, and gave them his best cocky smile – which fell a little short under the circumstances.

"I'm okay… just a bit sore. They're not going to let me go back to school for a while, though."

"Yeah, that's what Sam said."

"Full recovery, though, right?" River asked.

"Yeah, thanks to…" He trailed off, just barely stopping himself from mentioning Dotty's help. That was a secret. To both of them? Shawn had to know that his mom… He frowned, realizing something else that he hadn't considered, but should have. Dotty was an Ancient. He knew that because of the story the voice had told him, and she, herself, had confirmed it. That meant Shawn was, too, since he was Dotty's son. Part Ancient, because he was definitely Jack's son, too, and Jack wasn't an Ancient.

Did Shawn know what he was? He certainly didn't act like he was a cross-breed. But Ian had to admit he didn't know how exactly an alien would act. No… not alien…. According to what he'd been told the Ancients were Human before humans were Human. It was a second-

"You okay?" River asked, cutting into his thoughts, slightly concerned by the way Ian had stopped in mid sentence and stared off into thin air.

Ian jerked his thoughts back to the present here and now, and nodded.

"Yeah, sorry…"

Shawn frowned; Ian didn't apologize very often.

"Are you _sure_ you're okay?" He asked.

"Yeah. Fine. Just doped up." That was a good excuse, and easily used.

"I'll bet."

Shawn smiled.

"We'd better get going. Doctor Fraiser told us not to stay long. She said you needed to sleep."

"Beauty sleep," River added. "And holy shit, do you need a ton of it."

"Fuck you."

River and Shawn both grinned – that was more like the Ian they knew and usually liked. Shawn headed for the door, but Ian spoke up.

"Hayden, stay for a minute, will you?"

Curious, River stopped while Shawn continued out the door, knowing that if Ian had wanted to talk to him, he would have asked him to stay, too. He debated staying anyways – because Ian wasn't supposed to be alone with people who didn't have clearance while he was on so much medication, but Shawn wasn't going to be nosy. He closed the door behind him, but waited in the hall, next to the Marine who was standing right outside the door as well.

"What's up?" Rive asked, looking down at his roommate curiously.

"You need to keep an eye on Adams for me. I'm not going to be there to keep him out of trouble, you know?"

River rolled his eyes.

"You're the reason he gets into ¾ of the trouble he gets into, Brooks. It's almost going to be like a vacation not having you in school – I know I'll be doing a lot less running."

"Yeah, go fuck yourself, Hayden," Ian told him, smiling. It was probably true, after all, so there was no sense denying it. "Just… watch out for him, okay? Let me know if anyone's screwing with him and I'll break out of here and come down and knock some heads together…"

River smiled.

"I didn't know you cared."

"I don't." Ian replied automatically. "Just do what I tell you."

"Yeah, sure." River shrugged; he'd been looking out for Shawn since day one, after all – it wasn't going to be all that much of a change. "You keep in touch while you're getting better, okay?"

Ian snorted.

"I'll send you a postcard – or a bedpan."

There was a knock on the door, and it opened, revealing Janet Fraiser and the Commandant of the academy – who looked slightly miffed at having to wait while cadets and civilians had had their chance to visit _his_ cadet while he'd been cooling his heels in the waiting room. He had things to do, after all.

"I'd better go," River told him with a grin. "See you around."

Ian nodded, and the Californian nodded to the Commandant and Fraiser as he walked past them and out the door. Janet walked out as well, leaving Ian with the Commandant, who simply gave him pretty much the same talk that Jack had; telling him that he was going to be out of school probably for a month or so, and that he was relieved he was going to make a full recovery, and that he'd stop in here to check in on him from time to time if the doctors allowed it.

It was nothing Ian hadn't heard before, and it wasn't even complete information, since the commandant thought Ian was going to be put into a rehab facility. Worn out by the long day, the steady stream of visitors and his own injuries, Ian fell asleep while he was talking.

The Commandant scowled when he realized the boy was asleep, but it wasn't like he'd done it on purpose after all. Of course, even he knew that with Ian Brooks, you just never knew. Maybe he had fallen asleep on purpose – kind of an insult without really being an insult. Deciding that it wasn't the case this time – the boy really looked worn out – the Commandant left the room. He'd give his orders to the doctors, and they could pass them on to Ian for him. He had to get back to his school.

OOOOOO

Ian's rest was broken by what started out as a low murmuring somewhere near by. He could ignore that – and did – and started falling asleep once more without even opening his eyes to see what it was. Then the murmuring grew louder, and louder, and he realized it was a voice he knew well – and one that sounded about as angry as he'd ever heard it. He forced himself to wake up a bit more, trying to focus through the medication so he could understand what was being said – there was certainly no problem hearing it, that was for sure.

"… tell you, I don't give a flying fuck what the attorneys say, I want that sonofabitch behind bars where he belongs – all of them." There was a pause.

"No, you listen to me, God damn it; I don't care if they have to amputate that knee at the waist, if that motherfucker gets released into anyone's custody besides the police, I'm going to find him and shoot him myself, and don't you for a minute think I'm God damned joking about it, because I'll-"

Another pause.

"No! You tell the Attorney General that the sonofabitch shot my son – _my son_! – and if there's a reason he can't get out here to handle the prosecuting personally I want to know about it."

A pause. Much shorter.

"Then wake his ass up, Goddamn it! I want this taken care of, and I want it taken care of right now! The fucking-"

Another pause and Ian opened his eyes, looking over at the tall figure by the window, his swollen eye actually opening a little as well. He could see it was dark outside, and wondered what time it was.

"No! You call him yourself, and tell him that I'm the reason he was appointed to that fucking position and if he doesn't take care of this, I'll-" Nathan Brooks noticed a slight movement from the bed, and looked over, realizing his son was awake. "I need to go," he said, in a more conversational tone. I've got Maggie's cell phone. Call me and keep me informed."

Without saying goodbye, he closed the phone and walked over to the bed.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" He said, scowling down at his son. "What kind of nut goes jogging in the middle of the night?"

Ian scowled, too.

"Nice to see you, too, dad…"


	90. 90

Nathan looked like he wanted to say more – his expression told Ian that he had a million things on his mind and wanted nothing more than to lash out at his son with them. Ian knew the look – he'd seen it a lot – and braced himself mentally as well as he could for an ass chewing.

It didn't come, though.

The elder Brooks sat down on the edge of Ian's bed, his scowl firmly in place – although there was a different quality to it, now.

"The police want to release one of the guys into custody of his parents. They say he's not a flight risk because his knee is badly injured and he's going to need another surgery on it or it'll probably never heal right…"

"Mother fucker. I hope it falls off," Ian said, shifting in his bed just a little as he tried to sit up a bit. Only to find his dad's hand planted carefully against his chest holding him still.

"Don't move, boy," Nathan said, his scowl replaced by a frown. "You rip your stitches open, you might end up having something important come sliding out – and I don't want to have to pick it up and try to stuff it back in."

Ian bit back the instant reaction to being called boy and couldn't help the snort of amusement at the picture that came to mind with the rest of his father's statement.

"I don't think it's that bad, dad…"

Although it _hurt_ like it was that bad.

"It _looks_ bad, son," Nathan said, moving his hand from Ian's chest. "They sure worked you over. Bastards."

Before Ian could say that he had to see the other guys – something he knew he was going to say a lot until his bruises were faded – his dad's hand went to his cheek in an uncharacteristically gentle fashion.

"Your mother was frantic when we got the word… we were on a plane before the guy on the other line had even hung up."

"She doesn't need to worry… I'm-"

He didn't get to finish what he was going to say. Before he could realize what was happening his father had gathered him into his arms, holding him tightly in a hug that was agonizingly painful for Ian – and something he hadn't done in so long that even _Ian_ wasn't sure just then when the last time had been. Biting back any sign of just how badly the tight grip hurt, Ian felt himself choking up for another reason completely, and his uninjured arm wrapped loosely around his father's shoulder, holding him as tightly as he could – which was pitifully weak just then.

"_Goddamn_ it son," Nathan said, his face buried against Ian's bandaged shoulder. "If you scare me like this again, I'll…"

"I'm sorry, dad…"

Ian rested his cheek against Nathan's neck, his chin on his powerful shoulder and closed his eyes against a wave of pain that washed over him. Hugging your dad for the first time in a dozen years was a new experience for him – and a nice feeling, he decided – but holy shit, it hurt like a motherfucker.

Nathan felt the tremor go through Ian's body – he couldn't miss it holding him as tightly as he was – and the retired General realized what he was doing and eased his grip, carefully lowering Ian back against the stack of pillows.

"Jesus, son… I'm sorry… I-"

Ian's face was pale, but he shook his head, moving his hand back to where it had been resting on his stomach.

"It's okay, dad…"

The two of them looked at each other, sharing a moment that neither had expected, but then Nathan cleared his throat, uncomfortably.

"Big fucking baby, that's what your mother would say…"

Ian smiled. She wouldn't use the word _fucking_, but knew his dad was right about the rest.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't."

There was a snort of humor.

"Deal. I can't have-"

The door opening and Maggie Brooks walking through it with a doctor Ian didn't recognize interrupted him. His mother was instantly beside the bed, scolding Nathan for waking his son and then taking Nate's place on the edge of the bed so she could make certain for herself that he was alive and awake and already recovering from his ordeal. Then she started scolding him for worrying her. She didn't try to hug him – mercifully – but her hands were constantly touching him, the gentle touch countering the thorough chewing out she was giving him.

Ian had been chewed out before. He knew when to say _yes, ma'am_ and _no_ _ma'am_ – and knew better than to say anything _but_ that – and he did it automatically as his father watched on in amusement. When she was finished, and had threatened him with everything under the sun that she could think of if he worried her like this again, she leaned over and kissed his forehead, the signal that the lecture was over.

"We're not allowed to stay," Maggie told him, scowling for the first time in a long time. When she did it, she looked exactly like Ian did when he scowled, and Nathan carefully hid his smile of amusement. It wouldn't due for him to get another lecture, after all. "The doctors say you can't sleep when you have company, so we have to go."

"But-"

"Don't worry, son," Nate said. "We're not leaving. We'll be in the hospital, and if you need us, they'll let us know."

"I don't mind the company-"

"You need your rest," the doctor interrupted, smoothly. "They're planning on transferring you to a different facility tomorrow morning. You can have all the company you want, then."

Ian knew better than that – since he knew where he was going – but he didn't argue.

"You'll be around?" he asked his dad.

Nathan nodded, looking pleased at the question.

"Let them try keeping us away."

Maggie leaned over and kissed Ian once more, and then stood up and went over to Nate, who wrapped her up in his arms. Where he was always reserved around Ian, he'd never had a problem showing his wife how he felt about her.

"We'll be back soon," Maggie said. "Do you need anything?"

Ian shook his head, feeling better than he'd ever expected he could have after a visit from his father – and knowing that this time it wasn't his _mother_ that had made him feel that way. He smiled – as well as he could anyways.

"You _could_ bring me a Big Mac…"

The doctor frowned, but Nate and Maggie smiled.

"I'll see what I can do…"

And they left him.


	91. 91

The doctor followed them out, but before Ian could close his eyes and try to will away the aches that seemed to be getting worse and worse the door opened and Cassandra Fraiser came sneaking in. She smiled when she saw he was awake, and Ian watched as she closed the door and came over and sat on his bed, looking down at him. She looked a lot more composed now than she had before, and he was glad. Kisses aside, she was way too nice a girl to be worrying so much about him.

"Are you _supposed_ to be in here?"

She shrugged, putting her hand on his.

"No one told me I couldn't be."

"Isn't there a guard?"

"He's talking to your dad – giving him directions to McDonald's."

Ian smiled and closed his fingers around her hand.

"Where's your mom?"

"Sleeping."

"Where's Jack?"

"He left to take Shawn and River back to school. Sam's downstairs somewhere, and everyone else is gone – except your mom and dad – so no one will know if I do this…"

She leaned over and kissed him lightly.

"Are you _trying_ to get me killed?" Ian asked her a moment later, squeezing her hand gently so she'd know he wasn't completely serious. "Do you know what Jack would do if he caught me kissing you again? And God only knows what your _mom_ would do."

"She'd probably kill me," Cassie said, smiling. "I'm too young to even look at guys like that, as far as she's concerned."

"Yeah, mom's are like that…"

She nodded, and then looked him over, critically.

"You look a little better," she told him. "Your eye's not quite so swollen, anyways."

He hadn't taken a look at himself in a mirror and really had no intention of doing so, but he was sure he still looked pretty bad. He _felt_ pretty bad, and his face felt tight and swollen and it just plain hurt – like the rest of him.

"Picture perfect?" He asked her.

She made a face.

"Maybe… if you're going for the Rocky 2 look alike contest…"

He smiled and squeezed her hand, closing his eyes. Even though he was enjoying her company, he was finding that the doctor had been right; he was tired and could feel himself falling asleep – even in the middle of the conversation. And Cassie, of course, noticed right away.

"Are you going to sleep?"

"I can't keep my eyes open."

"That's normal." She told him. "Your body's using a lot of energy to heal, and you _are_ on a lot of medication."

He smiled, wryly, opening his eyes a little – although he couldn't force them all the way open.

"Trust a doctor's kid to know those things…"

She nodded.

"I've picked up a lot from her." He felt her lips brush his again, and then her hand disengage from his. "You go to sleep. I'm going to have to go home soon – since I have school tomorrow and mom won't let me stay home – but I'll come visit you once they've taken you to the SGC and settled you in mom's infirmary…"

Before he could even ask her if they'd even let her into the SGC – before he could even _wonder_ if they would, really – he gave up trying to stay awake, and fell asleep.

Cassie watched him sleep for a minute, and then touched his cheek – something she wouldn't really dare do when he was awake. It seemed even more intimate a touch than a kiss, really – especially since their kisses, while very nice, had been fairly chaste. She felt the soft beginnings of stubble on his cheek and upper lip and ran her fingers lightly over his chin while she had the opportunity. Then, realizing that she was being dumb, and if her mother walked in and caught her feeling up her patient, she'd definitely have to do some explaining, she leaned over and brushed one more kiss against his cheek and headed for the door.

OOOOOOOOO

Sam met her in the hallway, and Cassie realized the Major had been on her way to Ian's room. She colored slightly; if Ian hadn't fallen asleep, Sam might have walked in on them kissing like jack had. Cassie wondered what her friend's reaction would have been – Jack had taken it far better than Cassie had expected him to.

"I was just coming to look for you," Sam told her, smiling.

"I was checking on Ian…" Cass said, almost guiltily. Especially since she wasn't exactly supposed to be in there just then.

"How's he doing?"

"He fell asleep, but he was talking and didn't seem too doped up. You could go look for yourself."

She shook her head.

"If he's sleeping than he's not going to be much fun to watch. I'll wait until he's awake. I told your mom I'd take you home – and Emmett's going to stay with you tonight, just so you're not alone, okay?"

Cassie nodded – Janet had already told her she was going to stay at the hospital to make sure there were no complications with her patient. Not that they really expected any, but you never knew, and that was one of the things that made her mom a good doctor – being ready for anything that might come up.

"Sounds good."

"He's expecting us. Are you ready?"

She nodded again, and the two of them headed for the elevators, passing a Marine who was coming off a different one – apparently ready to take the place of the one guarding Ian's room.

"What a day, huh?" Cassie asked as the elevator door opened and they got in.

Sam nodded her agreement. It could have been a whole lot worse, though, and she knew it.

"You holding up okay?"

"Yeah, Sam. I had a chance to talk to him, you know? And he's going to be fine…"

Sam smiled, slyly, giving Cassie a look out of the corner of her eye.

"From what I hear, you two have been doing more than _talking_…"

Cassie blushed a brilliant red – and with her coloring, it _showed_ brilliant red.

"What did you hear?"

Sam laughed, and gave her a hug, well aware that she'd embarrassed her and enjoying every second of it. That was the best thing about being an adult, right? Getting to embarrass the young people around you – especially the teenagers.

"Jack told me he caught the two of you in a liplock that would have sent your mother through the roof."

"It _wasn't_ that bad…"

"Really?"

"But it was nice…"

"Oh, I bet…" Sam laughed and the elevator door opened, spilling them out onto the main floor.

"It _was_… He's great…"

"I know, sweetheart," Sam assured her. "If I were twenty years younger and hadn't met Jack, you and I would be wrestling in the jello for him."

Cassie smiled, and they headed for Sam's car.


	92. 92

The next time Ian woke, his mother was dozing in a padded chair near the side of his bed. She was covered with a fuzzy throw blanket that probably didn't come from the hospital's storage room – it just looked a little too bright and cheerful for a hospital room. He lay still, watching her sleep and not wanting to disturb her, figuring she'd had a rough day or two and needed the rest.

Without moving his head, he looked up at the clock and found that it was half past midnight. He'd only slept a few hours, but he felt a bit better – all the sleeping he was doing was definitely helping – although if anything, he ached even worse than he had. Probably because the bruises were stiffening up. And there was no way he was going to be able to work any of the stiff muscles out, because he knew he wasn't going to be able to get out of bed for a little while.

"How do you feel, son?"

He turned his head, and found that his mother had woken – probably some mom instinct that told her when he was awake had kicked in and alerted her. She was already pushing off the blanket and coming over to sit on the edge of his bed, her hand reaching out to touch his face gently. Ian was reminded of the few times when he'd been sick as a little boy, and her touch was all that had ever been needed to make him feel better. Sometimes things never changed, because he actually did feel better.

"I'm fine, mom," he told her, giving her the best smile he could. He didn't want her to worry about him. "Kind of hungry…"

Since he hadn't eaten anything solid in what seemed to be forever, it only made sense – of course, he'd been sleeping most of that time.

She smiled.

"Your father snuck you in a hamburger, but you were asleep and he ate it."

Bah.

She caught his annoyed look, and smiled – no one could read Ian better than she could.

"He's been sneaking out and getting you a fresh one every half hour or so," she told him. "It's probably just as well, because if he keeps eating them, he's going to pop right out of his clothes. – besides, I think Janet Fraiser is getting suspicious."

Ian couldn't help but smile, too, and he reached his hand out for her to take it in her own.

"You look tired, mom."

She shook her head, squeezing his hand lightly.

"I'm fine, baby. I was resting…"

She was the only one who could get away with calling him baby, too, and she knew it. Of course; she was his mother and could call him anything she wanted – because she had earned that right by changing his poopy diapers and they both knew it. Besides, he loved her and she couldn't do any wrong as far as Ian was concerned.

"Sleeping in a chair isn't the same thing as sleeping in a bed, though, and-"

He was interrupted by the door opening, and they both looked over to see Nathan walking in, a suspicious bulge under his coat and a smile on his handsome face when he saw that Ian was awake.

"Good! You're awake."

Ian nodded.

"He's been nagging me about resting," Maggie told her husband, moving so he could have the spot she'd been in.

"He's a smart kid," Nate said. "I told you that sleeping in a chair isn't as good for you as sleeping in a be-"

"Yes, I know."

She interrupted him, and Ian grinned, despite the ache from stretching those facial muscles. That was exactly what he'd been telling her, after all.

Nathan sat down on the edge of the bed and reached under his coat, pulling out a bag that smelled so god Ian's mouth immediately began to water.

"Don't let the doctors see it."

Ian took the bag in his hand and flipped it open so he could peek inside. It was a McDonald's bag, and besides the Big Mac he'd asked for earlier, there was also an order of fries – although there wasn't any ketchup. Too bad.

"Thanks, dad…"

"If you get caught with it, I had nothing to do with it…"

"Yes, sir."

He stuffed a handful of fries into his mouth, making an appreciative noise that made both parents smile.

"How do you feel?" Nathan asked.

He chewed and swallowed, and nodded.

"I'm better, dad… you guys don't need to stay here and hover. Go get some sleep…"

Nate nodded and stood up.

"That's exactly what we're going to do. I've got us a room in a hotel just down the road, and we'll be back to see you before they move you to the SGC."

Of course Nathan knew where his son was going to go – there wasn't any hiding that fact from the retired General, and there wasn't any need to. Even though he wasn't completely in the loop about what was going on there, he knew about the SGC since he'd been there, and he'd shared what little information that was needed to keep his wife from worrying about the welfare of her only son.

Ian nodded, and reached for the box that held his burger.

"Make sure mom doesn't fret all night, okay?"

"I'll do that, son."

Maggie sniffed, not at all used to her son and husband both ganging up against her like that, but she knew they were both stubborn enough that there was absolutely no reason for her to bother trying to argue. Instead, she leaned over and kissed Ian's forehead.

"We'll see you in the morning."

He nodded and watched them leave the room, then dug into his bag for another handful of fries. He wasn't really in all that much of a hurry, since he had to assume that everyone was asleep, but he did want to eat them before they were cold. Nothing tasted shittier than cold French fries.

OOOOOO

He'd finished the fries and was part way through his burger when Ian learned that he wasn't quite as intelligent as he thought he was. Not only was everyone in the hospital not asleep, but Janet Fraiser was lurking in the area, checking on her patient every half hour or so. Ian had been asleep the last time she'd been by, and he'd missed the vague warning his mother had given him about Fraiser being suspicious, and when the door to his room opened, and she walked in looking down at a chart in her hand, he had a distinctive deer in the headlights look about him. Quick as a flash – far quicker than one could imagine someone as injured as he was – he stuffed the rest of his Big Mac in his mouth, glad he'd already hidden the bag under his pillow, and gave her an innocent look.

Fraiser frowned when she looked up from the chart. She was glad to see he was still awake – she'd been told by his parents on their way out the door that he'd woken – but oh was he hiding something. Something greasy to judge by the smell of French fries that permeated the room. Add in the worst innocent look she'd ever seen in her life – and she'd seen a _million_ of them – and she knew she'd busted him.

She crossed her arms over her chest, looking down at him suspiciously.


	93. 93

"Tell me you're not eating something I haven't said you can have…" Janet told him, frowning.

Since Ian's mouth was so full he could barely breathe, there was no way he was going to be able to tell her any such thing. He tried reworking his innocent look, but could tell by her annoyed expression that it wasn't working.

"Chew and swallow that before you choke on it," Fraiser told him, still scowling. That was all she needed; her hard work to pull him through surgery to become completely obsolete because he choked on who knew what it was. The room smelled like French fries, but there had to be an entire order of them in his mouth for it to be so full. Probably it was a burger – or some other fast food item.

She watched as he chewed whatever it was – not surprised that he chewed it slowly, since his mouth and jaw had to be killing him – and then walked over to stand closer, looking for the source of the food; a bag of some sort.

"Who snuck it in?" She asked him, giving him her best annoyed look, figuring that she'd bully the answer out of him, and then go chew someone out.

Ian shook his head, trying to think of a story – any story – that she'd buy. Of course, there wasn't a whole lot he could come up with.

"I… found it…"

That was sort of true, right? He'd found it in the bag…

Janet's scowl deepened.

"Try again."

"A genie popped out of this… um… drawer… and told me I had three-"

"Nope."

"I-"

"Was it Colonel O'Neill?" She asked, tartly. "Because if it was, I'm going to-"

"It wasn't Colonel O'Neill."

"Sam?"

He shook his head, leaning back into his pillows and trying to look miserable. He was actually feeling pretty good – all things considered – and the burger had gone down real well, but he figured if he looked sick enough, maybe she'd show mercy on him. Janet wasn't fooled though. She'd seen every trick in the book and there wasn't anything this young man could throw at her that she hadn't seen before.

"Was it one of the-"

"I'm not going to tell you," he told her, realizing fairly quickly that his ruse wasn't going to work. "I can't. I promised I-"

"Fine." She stopped him with annoyed motion of her hand. "If you find your stomach cramping, or you end up bringing it back up violently, don't come crying to me, because I'm not going to-"

"Yes, Ma'am."

He felt fine. There wasn't anything wrong with him, and he'd never tossed up a good burger in his life – he certainly wasn't going to start, now. But he knew he'd annoyed Fraiser, and since he had several reasons to want to stay on her good side, he figured he'd just agree with her and stop the lecture before it could begin. At least she wasn't going to make him run laps or anything.

"Don't do it again."

"No, Ma'am."

She looked at him more closely, not at all mollified by his sudden tractability.

"You have sesame seeds on your chest."

Bah. He couldn't wait to get out of here.

OOOOOOOO

"What are you doing awake?"

Sam looked up from her cup of tea and smiled when she saw Jack standing at the entrance to the dining room, looking rumpled and sleepy, and just a little annoyed that she wasn't sound asleep like she was supposed to be – she was _supposed_ to be resting.

"I couldn't sleep."

He came over and stood behind her, rubbing her shoulders lightly.

"Why not? You're not worried about Ian, are you? Fraiser said he was going to be-"

She shook her head, tilting her chin up so she could look up at him.

"Not about his _health_ – just about what's going to happen to him."

"They're going to move him to the SGC in the morning, and we-"

"I mean while he's there, Jack," she said, stroking Jaffer's head when the lab came over and put his head on her thigh. "What are we going to do with him?"

Jack smiled, leaned over and kissed her lightly before sitting down beside her.

"Hammond's going to send him to the Alpha site once he's over being sore. He told me that getting him off world and out of trouble would be safer than risking him in the middle of the SGC for a month or so, and I'm inclined to agree with him. Besides, it'll be good for him to get an idea of what we're facing, and they can teach him that there as easily as we can teach him here."

"What if the police need to talk to him?"

Jack shrugged, "We gate him home, let them ask their questions, and then send him back."

That made sense. The whole idea did, the more Sam thought about it. Ian would get some valuable hands-on experience, and really, they could probably put his brains to use there while giving him a good idea of what was really going on in the universe that he'd only just learned extended far beyond what he'd originally thought.

"And when he gets back?" It sounded like Jack and Hammond had had quite a conversation, because it sure seemed like they had everything planned out.

"He goes back to the academy and finishes school – and hopefully is just a little less undecided about what he's going to do when he graduates."

Sam smiled.

"With as many new possibilities that have been opened up to him? I bet he's even more confused than he was when he started."

"He's got plenty of time to sort things out."

"I suppose that-"

"Sam…"

Jack interrupted her by standing up and pulling her to her feet as well.

"We don't need to plan his future tonight. _We_ have plenty of time, too."

"But-"

"Come to bed."

Realizing that he wasn't going to let her ponder Ian's future when she was supposed to be resting, Sam shook her head, only a little annoyed by the way he tended to nag her about resting and eating right, and relaxing and doing whatever he thought she needed to do to keep herself and the baby healthy.

"Fine."

She could always bring it up again when she saw Ian in the morning. For all they knew, he might not want to leave the infirmary for the entire month.


	94. 94

"It's not like she said I _couldn't_ have it…"

He was pouting and he knew it, but he couldn't help himself. Janet Fraiser had come and gone, but she'd made it perfectly clear to her young patient that she was _not_ happy with him – for eating something that he knew she wouldn't approve of _and_ for not telling her who had smuggled the food to him – without so many words. Of course, he didn't _need_ words.

The first thing she'd done was changed the bandages on his stomach, shoulder and chest. While the inside of him was no longer damaged, the outside _was_, and Ian had his first look at the gunshot wounds while she cleaned the wounds with antiseptic that hurt worse on contact than the actual gunshots had.

"Are you using _sandpaper_?" he'd asked her, biting back yet another curse as a stabbing pain coursed through him from the general direction of his chest.

She'd simply given him a less than sympathetic look and dabbed the antiseptic on another spot.

"Do you _want_ an infection?"

"Will it hurt less than the stuff you're using to prevent it?"

_That_ little comment had been a mistake and he'd known it immediately. The next bandage she'd taken off had been fairly ripped off – along with what felt like every inch of skin on his shoulder.

"Holy _shit_…"

He hadn't been able to bite that one back, but Janet had only raised an eyebrow at the curse and started dabbing the antiseptic on. This time Ian hadn't made any comment about just how bad the shit hurt going on. He could count, after all, and there were still four bandages for her to change – and one of them was on his lower belly, which was the one spot on his chest and stomach that actually _had_ little hairs, and he wanted them to be there when she was finished.

Fraiser wasn't finished with her lesson, though, Ian found out.

After she was finished redressing his wounds – and Jesus he was _aching_ by the time she was done, although it wasn't anything permanent – she'd given him a lecture on just how many side effects there were to the various medications he was being given. And she hadn't allowed him a chance to pretend he was falling asleep through it so he could avoid it, because every time he closed his eyes, she mentioned taking blood for some test or another to see if the medication or the injuries were making him anemic and causing him to fall asleep.

Which of course had forced him to open his eyes and listen to her lecture. Damn it. There had to be some kind of regulation against treating patients like this. He'd have to take a look at the Air Force medical journals or whatever held the rules the doctors were supposed to live by. Just plain cruel. Not at all like her sweet daughter. Of course, Sam had mentioned in passing that Cassie was _adopted_, so that explained the difference.

Once Fraiser was done with the lecture – and the satisfied look in her expression plainly told him that she _knew_ it had been boring and long – she'd mentioned that he probably wanted something to keep him from becoming bored since he didn't look at all sleepy now, so she'd flipped on the TV and left it on the Spanish speaking network, and pocketed the remote control, almost absently – although Ian knew better.

"I'll be back to check on you in a bit," she told him. "Try to behave, okay?"

He'd scowled, and had bitten back a comment that probably would have made her start changing bandages again – Ian wasn't stupid, after all – and Janet had left, humming to herself, leaving him with an aching body and a Spanish soap opera. And a less than sunny disposition.

"Stupid Big Mac…"

He pulled out the bag from under the pillow, double-checked to make sure there wasn't another burger in there (wishful thinking, he knew, but it didn't hurt to hope, right?) crumbled it up and tossed it into the garbage can on the other side of the room and settled in to watch the soap opera.

OOOOOOOOO

The soap opera actually wasn't that bad. Janet couldn't have known it, of course, but Ian spoke fluent Spanish – as well as several other languages. With his memory, learning languages was a snap – especially since many were fairly well related anyways, so once he'd learned the sentence structure and verbiages, it was simply a matter of learning vocabulary. And that was no problem.

By the time Fraiser had returned, ready to change the channel for him, Ian was fairly well glued to the TV, caught up in Maria's pregnancy by Jaime, who wasn't willing to marry her until she admitted to him that she'd slept with Raul – even though Ian personally thought the guy was a bastard and Maria could do better.

Shescowled when she realized that Ian didn't look anywhere near as miserable as she'd expected him to. In fact, he didn't look miserable at all.

He looked over at her when she walked in, and she looked over to make sure he hadn't somehow changed the channel – which would have really pissed her off, because that would have meant he'd somehow gotten out of bed. Which _really_ would have earned him an ass-chewing. It was still on the Spanish channel.

"Got any popcorn?" Ian asked, unable to hide a grin when he saw a vein actually pop up in her forehead at the question.

Hah.

OOOOOOOO

"It was an innocent question…" he mumbled grumpily to himself minutes later, rubbing his aching arm.

She hadn't found it at all innocent, and Janet had turned off the TV, taken blood from _two_ different places – to make sure he was stable for the morning transfer, she told him – and had turned off the light as she'd left him alone, telling him to go to sleep or she'd dope him up so badly he wouldn't even be able to _spell_ popcorn. Then she'd closed the door, leaving him in the dark, aching just a bit, and with absolutely nothing to preoccupy him.

Some people had no sense of humor…


	95. 95

"How do you feel, Ian?"

The cadet looked up, his eyes glazed and a goofy grin on his face.

"Hi, Sam…"

She smiled, shaking her head. Janet had warned her that they'd heavily medicated Ian for the transfer to the SGC that morning – to keep him from feeling any pain on the drive in the ambulance – and it was obvious the drugs were kicking in, because she'd never seen that goofy look before.

"Hi, Ian. How do you feel?" She asked, a little slower this time.

"Oh, good… good, good, good, good…"

He _looked_ like he was feeling good, Sam thought with another smile.

"… good, good…"

"Good, it's taken affect."

Sam looked over her shoulder and saw that Janet had arrived behind her and was looking down at her patient. Ian's gaze followed the Major's and he brought his bandaged hand up and waved it at Fraiser – something that would have hurt to do if he wasn't on painkillers.

"Hey, Doc… where's Sneezy and Dopey?"

Ian snickered at his own little joke, and Janet scowled, because Sam had snickered as well.

"Yeah, _I'd_ say it's taken affect," Sam agreed.

"Are Nathan and Maggie in the hospital, still?"

Sam shook her head.

"They went off with the AG to discuss the case the prosecutors have."

_That_ had been a shock to everyone – except Ian, of course. Early that morning, from out of nowhere, the Attorney General of the United States had shown up at the hospital, looking for Nathan Brooks. The elder Brooks had still been at the hotel with his wife, but the AG had been taken in to see Ian, who'd been awake off and on all night, and with one of the ever present Marine guards watching, the man and two of his assistants had taken a statement from Ian and had double checked his surety that he'd be able to recognize his assailants.

Ian, of course, had had no trouble giving the exact statement that he'd given the police, and had nodded when asked if he'd be able to point them out of a line up. The AG didn't seem as confident – he'd seen the nasty injuries the cadet had taken and he was pretty sure that trauma like that would probably have some kind of affect on how well the kid remembered, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he asked a few more questions, and by the time he was ready to leave to go talk to the local police, Nathan and Maggie had shown up – and so had Jack and Sam.

Nathan made introductions all around while Maggie checked on her son to make sure he was still alive and kicking, and then Nathan had checked on Ian while Maggie told the AG how nice it was for him to come all the way out here from DC just to take care of Ian's case. The AG had sent a look at Nathan, but the retired General wasn't looking his way, and he'd simply smiled, and shrugged, and said it was his pleasure.

Then the AG had gone off with his assistants to talk to the locals, and Nathan and Maggie had gone as well, because – Nate told Jack privately – he wanted to make sure there weren't any mistakes made and that the bastards had every book that could be found thrown at them. Maggie had debated staying with Ian – even though she wanted to go with her husband – but Sam had told her they were going to move Ian, so she'd have plenty of time to see him later, when things weren't so hectic. She'd admonished her son to behave himself, and had left, and Ian's doctors had arrived to get him prepped to move.

Janet nodded, "Then I guess we're ready to get him moved…"

"Hey, Sam…" Ian said. "I'm moving, today."

She smiled, and rested her hand lightly on his. "I heard, Ian."

"To the SGC. It's a _secret_, though…"

"I know."

She turned to Janet, who was frowning as she looked down at the cadet.

"He's awfully talkative…"

"The dose _should_ have put him out, but he's been restive all morning."

"And you can't give him more?"

Fraiser shrugged, "I _could_, if I wanted to turn him into a vegetable for the next few days. I don't think his parents would appreciate that, though – and it's really not good for him. We'll just have to keep the right people around him until we get him to my infirmary."

"Well, _I'm_ here…"

"_Sam's_ here," Ian repeated, holding the hand that Sam had rested on his. "She knows all the secrets – well, not the one about the _voice_ – but all the other ones. She can keep me company."

"What voice, Ian?" Sam asked. He'd mentioned a voice the other day, too, although at the time, he'd been just as doped up as he was now – and in a lot of pain.

"It's a _secret_, Sam," Ian told her, regretfully. "I promised not to tell, because he wouldn't tell me about the…" he caught himself before he could tell her, and he frowned. "Shit! I almost told you about him. Oh, that wouldn't have been good at all. Not at all…"

"I can't know the secret?" Sam asked, curiously. She hated being on the outside of a secret.

Ian shook his head.

"He's probably imagining things, Sam," Janet told her, smiling. "He's not exactly in his right mind at the moment, you know."

Sam shrugged, and leaned over, making sure she had Ian's complete attention.

"When you're feeling better, you and I are going to sit down and talk about this voice, okay?"

He looked up at her, dark eyes glazed where they weren't swollen, and shrugged.

"I'll ask him the next time I talk to him…"

"You do that." She kissed his forehead, softly. "Now go to sleep, okay? Stop fighting it…"

"You're a better kisser than Cassie, Sam…" Ian mumbled, closing his eyes. "Probably because you've had more practice, huh? I'll have to work on that…"

"What did he say?" Janet asked, frowning. She hadn't heard completely what the boy had told Sam, because his voice had been soft, and her friend's body had blocked what little she could hear, but she was certain he'd said something about kissing Cassie.

Sam stood up, looking at Janet, her blue eyes wide and innocent.

"I didn't hear anything…"

"He said-"

"You said it yourself, Janet; he's not exactly in his right mind just now…"

Janet frowned, crossing her arms over her breasts and looking at her friend curiously.

"What do _you_ know that I don't?"

"I know that the quantum theory for biangular dimension planar existence is-"

"Sam."

"He might have kissed her – once."

"Once?"

Sam shrugged, and then sighed, because she could see the suspicion in Janet's eyes, and knew that she'd better hear that there had only been kisses and nothing more – otherwise Ian might not make it the SGC intact.

"I know that Cassie's kissed him a couple times – but that's it. There's really nothing going on between them."

"Your daughter's safe with me, Doctor Fraiser," Ian said, surprising both of them – Sam had assumed he'd fallen asleep, but he was still hanging in there with them, his eyes just as glazed as they had been, but the goofy grin gone. "I'm an asshole, but I'm not so bad that I'd take advantage of a nice girl like her… When Hayden gets his shit together and realizes that sleeping with women isn't a contest, I'll hook them up…"

"Hayden?"

"River." Sam supplied.

"River Hayden…" Ian added, and now his voice was failing him as his eyes started to droop. He was finally succumbing to the medication he'd been given. "He's a good guy, just too…" he dozed off before they could find out what was wrong with him.

Fraiser scowled again, but Sam shook her head.

"Janet, don't hold this conversation against him – he's not at his best, and you know how people can be when they're medicated. He's been a perfect gentleman with Cassie every time she's been to the house, even though-"

"He's all she's been talking about at home…" Janet had just assumed there was a fascination because the boy was cute. "I should put her in a convent."

Sam smiled.

"It's not that bad."

Nah, it probably wasn't. But Janet was going to have a long talk with Ian when he woke up. And she was going to make sure that it was _soon_ – before he was healed and out of her infirmary.


	96. 96

_He felt the Presence join him for the first time since the night he'd been shot, and felt warmth and love and a friendship that was greater than anything he'd ever felt before._

_"Where have you been?"_

_There was a feeling of amusement surrounding him, and the deep voice that still didn't have a face to put to it spoke._

_"I've been around. How do you feel?"_

_"Oh, just fucking ducky…"_

_"You're doing fine, though."_

_"Yeah. I'm going to be okay. Thanks to you."_

_"I didn't do anything."_

_"You kept me awake until Dotty showed up – and helped pull me through the surgery."_

_"I would_ love _to know how you remember that, Ian…"_

_The cadet shrugged._

_"I never forget-"_

_"I know. But it's just not possible."_

_"I don't know what to tell you," he said, almost feeling the need to apologize. "It's the way I've always been. I don't forget dreams, I don't forget names… I don't forget anything. I never have."_

_He could feel the Presence's exasperation and an undercurrent of annoyance that wasn't directed at him, although he knew he was the cause for it. This time he_ did _apologize._

_"Sorry."_

_The annoyance turned to amusement, and there was a deep chuckle._

_"Don't be. There's plenty of time to figure it out, and it's hardly your fault. I didn't come to make you feel guilty, I just thought I'd check on you and see how you were doing."_

_"I'm fine."_

_"Not yet."_

_It was Ian's turn to smile._

_"No, not yet, but soon."_

_"And then you're going off-world…"_

_"How did you know that?"_

_There was amusement._

_"It's a secret."_

_Bah._

OOOOOOOOOOO

A throbbing in his head woke him from his sleep, and when Ian opened his eyes he found he wasn't in the hospital anymore. Well, not in the public hospital, anyways. The room he was in now was just as much a hospital as the room he'd been in before, only the walls were concrete, and there was no sunshine coming through the window. For that matter, there wasn't a window. He was in the infirmary in the SGC.

He tried to move, and found that there was a heavy weight pinning him, looked down and saw that Jaffer was in his bed with him, the black lab's big head resting heavily against his stomach, which would have hurt if he hadn't managed to find the only spot that wasn't bandaged and bruised. Now he knew he was in the SGC, because the hospital had refused to allow Jack to bring Jaffer any closer than the elevator, and never would have allowed the dog in his room. Obviously Janet didn't have the same prejudices.

Janet.

Why did _that_ trigger an alarm? He frowned, and thought back to what he could remember of the day so far. He'd woken up. He'd been given medication. He'd been told to sleep but hadn't been able to. Sam had come into his room and had-

Oh, shit.

A groan escaped him – not a pained groan; a chagrined groan. He'd told Sam she was a good kisser. Jesus, he'd told Sam about the voice. Again. His mind was quick to grab the conversation he'd had, now that he was thinking about it, and he winced at the way he'd asked Fraiser about the other dwarves. She was going to kill him.

Oh, God… even worse; Fraiser knew Cassie and him had kissed. She was going to kill him – or worse, she'd-

"You're awake."

He flinched at the voice so close to him when he hadn't realized anyone was nearby but Jaffer, and groaned in real agony when pain went lancing through his skull as his brain threatened to explode. He closed his eyes tightly and brought his hand up to his right temple.

Janet frowned, and rested her hand lightly on his forehead, concerned.

"What's wrong?"

"My brain's trying to come out my nostrils…"

"I'll get you something for that," she told him, starting to move away from his bed. Ian reached out and barely managed to catch the hem of her lab jacket with his uninjured hand.

"No."

She turned, "What?"

"I don't want any medication. I'll be fine… just…" He shook his head, "Just don't give me anything. I don't like… them…"

"I won't give you a _shot_, Ian," she told him, incorrectly assuming he was tired of needles – and maybe feeling a little guilty for drawing blood so roughly the night before. Right up until she thought about him kissing Cassie. Then she wished she'd have taken more. "I'll just put it in your IV…"

He shook his head, his eyes glazed, but with pain now.

"No. Don't bother. It doesn't hurt anymore."

She didn't even have to be a doctor to know he was lying. She wasn't sure exactly what he had against the medication, but there was no way she was going to let him sty in that much pain. His entire body was tense with it.

"It won't hurt-"

"I'm not _worried_ about it hurting."

Jesus, he couldn't hurt any worse than he did just then, could he? What he was worried about was the fact that he couldn't keep his fucking mouth closed when he was medicated. Had he _really_ told her that he was going to pass Cassie off onto River once the cadet had gotten his shit together? _That_ certainly made him sound like a bastard, didn't it – even though he actually did think that River would be a better choice for her once he'd straightened up and decided it was time to settle with one girl and devote all that energy he had to her. A blind man could see Cassie was attracted to him, after all, despite the fact that she'd kissed Ian.

How the hell was he going to explain that one to either of them? Oh, God… what was Sam going to think of him for telling her she was a good kisser? What would _Jack_ think, for that matter?

Ian groaned again and reached for the blanket that had him covered to the waist, and pulled it all the way up and over his head, to the complete bafflement of Fraiser, and the annoyance of Jaffer – who wasn't all that happy to be completely covered like that. The lab sneezed; spraying Ian's side with snot, and Janet took the blankets and pulled them down, looking at him like he'd grown an extra nipple.

"What in the world is wrong with you?"

Oh, geeze, where to start?

"Nothing… I just don't want-"

"Fine. How about an aspirin?"

"No."

She scowled. She couldn't have him in pain.

"You can choose; an aspirin or a shot."

Ian's jaw clenched, his temper snapping – even though he was only mad at himself for being so stupid while medicated.

"I'll say it in little words so you can understand; I. Don't. Want. Either."

Janet's scowl turned thunderous, and she lost her temper as well.

"A shot it is. With a great big-"

Jaffer woofed softly, drawing her attention to him, and Janet looked down at him and then followed the lab's gaze to the entrance of the infirmary. Coming through the door was Jack and Sam – accompanied by Ian's parents, who both looked relieved to see him awake.

They all headed over to the bed – Ian's was on the very end of the row so he'd be disturbed as little as possible by the coming and going of medical staff at all hours of the day – and Janet saw Maggie's expression change from relief to concern when she came closer. Obviously she knew when he was in pain and upset and Ian was both at that moment. At the same moment, Sam's expression turned to concern as well, when she realized from Janet's expression that the doctor was about as angry as she'd ever seen her. She looked down at Ian, realizing that whatever it was, he was the problem. He looked at least as mad as Janet did. Had they gotten into it over Cassie already? That hadn't taken long.

"Why do I feel like the temperature on this side of the room is 50 degrees cooler than it is on the other side?"


	97. 97

Ian didn't say anything, unable to meet Sam's gaze. Oh, God… he'd told her she was a good kisser! What had he been thinking? He was so stupid! _Stupid_!

"Ian?" His mother's voice was just as concerned as Sam's, and far harder to ignore. He looked up at her, her dark eyes worried as she ran her hand along his cheek. "What's the matter, son?"

"Nothing."

She frowned, because she knew he was lying – and he rarely even tried to lie to her – hadn't since he was very young and had realized that he wasn't good at it.

"What is it?" She pressed, as only she could.

He clenched his jaw tightly, and looked down at his hands, shaking his head. He couldn't lie to her, but he didn't have to answer. Wouldn't answer. Couldn't answer.

"He won't let me give him any pain medication," Fraiser said, barely holding her own temper in check. It'd been a long time since she'd had anyone challenge her authority like the cadet had – aside from Jack O'Neill of course – and she was _not_ happy. "His recovery will take twice as long if he's in pain."

"So give him a shot of something," Nathan said.

"I don't need a shot," Ian said, still not looking up. "I'm fine."

He didn't look fine to any of them.

"Son, just get the damned shot and-"

"I don't want it."

"Just let her-"

"I _don't_ want-"

"Ian-"

"Nathan, don't yell at him."

"I'm not."

Now Nathan was getting angry, too, and Sam could feel that things were abut to get out of hand quickly. Especially with so many short tempers in one small area.

"Why don't we give him a little space?" Sam asked, smiling as she rested her hand on Nathan's forearm. "He just woke up, and he's probably a bit out of sorts. That can play havoc with anyone – I know from experience, and I'll bet _you_ do too."

Since Nathan had had his share of injuries that had required painkillers and being unconscious, he had to nod his agreement. He frowned, but he visibly got his temper back under control.

"Let me talk to him for a minute," Maggie said, ignoring the chair Janet had been monitoring her patient from and sitting on the edge of Ian's bed, her hand on her son's wrist. Ian still hadn't looked up at her or the others, but Maggie could see the pain and tenseness in his body language. She could read her son better than anyone could, after all.

Jack looked like he wanted to say something, but Sam took his hand and pulled him away.

"We'll be back in a little bit," she said.

Janet frowned, but she followed as well, figuring that if Maggie Brooks couldn't talk some sense into her son, she would just strap him to his bed and force the painkillers into him. There was no way she was going to let his stubborn refusal keep him from getting the medical attention he needed.

Nathan didn't leave. Ian was _his_ son, too, and he was going to find out what was going on inside that head of his. He'd realized far too late that he hadn't played much of a role in his son's life, but he was already planning on changing that – if he could –and this was going to be part of it. Whether Ian wanted it to be or not.

"What's going on, Ian?" His mother asked, once everyone was gone but Jaffer, who was still sprawled on the bed with the cadet. He was comfortable, after all, and hadn't been told to move – so he wasn't going to.

Ian shook his head, but Maggie reached out and put her fingers lightly under his chin, forcing his head up so she could see his face. He couldn't lie to her face to face, and they both knew it. And she really wanted to know what was bothering him.

"Ian?"

He sighed.

"The medication makes me say stupid stuff."

Nathan snorted in amusement, and both of them looked at him, both sets of dark eyes annoyed. He didn't back down from either of them. This was something he actually knew about, after all.

"Of _course_ it makes you say stupid stuff, Ian," Nathan said. "They're called drugs for a reason. They're just _legal_ ones, that's all."

"I don't like them."

"Do you like hurting?"

"I'd rather hurt than say something unforgivable…"

"What did you say?" Maggie asked, curiously. She was glad to hear that the thing bothering him didn't seem to be all that serious an issue – Nathan certainly didn't think it was, anyways, and Maggie knew he had more experience with this sort of thing than she did.

Ian flushed.

"You didn't propose to anyone, did you?" Nate asked. "I did that once…"

"You did?"

"She even said yes, but my CO dragged me back to my bed before I could make any plans…"

Maggie smiled, and was pleased to see that while Ian didn't smile, he did look amused.

"Why don't we talk to Janet and see if there's something she can give you that will make you less talkative?"

"Because I don't want her to know why I-"

"What did you say to her?" Nathan asked. "It must have been a _doozy_."

"I'd rather not say…"

"It wasn't obscene was it?" Maggie asked.

Ian shook his head.

"Then it's not unforgivable."

"I kissed Cassie."

"Oh, she's going to kill you…" Nate said, shaking his head.

"She wasn't going to know about it," Ian replied. "It's not like we did anything else. But then I got medicated, and stupid, and spouted off that Sam was a – anyways, I let it slip that I kissed Cassie, and I'm not going to take anything else."

"You're sure you let it slip?" Nathan asked. "Half the time I was doped up I couldn't remember my name, much less anything I said…"

"I remember saying it – and I remember her getting pissed about it – sorry." His apology to his mother for swearing was immediate, but she simply cupped her palm gently against his bruised face, not minding for once. "I don't want any more medication…"

"You're going to have to let her call you on the kiss anyways, son," Nathan told him, shrugging. "Might as well get it over with and then you won't have to worry about the medication."

Well, yeah, he still would, Ian knew. But he also knew his dad was right; he might as well let Janet have her chance at him. What was the worse she could do, really? He already hurt, after all.

He shrugged, but nodded.

"You're probably right."

"Of course I'm right. I'm always right."

Now it was Maggie's turn to snort. She caressed his cheek lightly for a moment, and then stood up.

"I'm going to go tell her you want to talk to her. You can decide what you're going to say."

Great.

"_This_ should be good," Nathan said, grinning.

"You'll never know," Maggie told him, taking his hand and pulling him away from the bed. "It's none of _your_ business…"

"But-"

"Come on."

She smiled at Ian, who sighed, and forced a smile back. "We're going to go find Jack and Sam and buy them a cup of coffee, send for us when you're feeling a little better, okay?"

He nodded, and watched them leave, stroking Jaffer's silky ears as he tried to figure out what the heck he was going to say. Nothing was coming to him. He couldn't think around the throbbing behind his eyes.

"I'm a dead man," he told Jaffer. At least he was in a good place to be killed…


	98. 98

He was still trying to figure out what to say when the door opened and Janet Fraiser walked back down the aisle, her eyes no less annoyed than they'd been when she'd left. Ian sighed – and that hurt – but he did it again anyways.

"You wanted to see me?" Janet asked him, an eyebrow raised and a look of impatience on her face.

He gave up trying to figure out what to say, and shrugged – which hurt, too.

"I'm sorry I gave you such a bad time about the medication."

"Does this mean I can give you painkillers?"

"No."

She scowled.

"I'm going to, anyways-"

"Look, I don't want a shot."

"It's not a shot. It won't even hurt. Even if it was a shot, you'd never feel it with all the other-"

"I'm not worried about the pain, Goddamn it. I'm worried about the side effects."

"There aren't-"

"There _are_. I babble when I'm doped up."

Then she understood. And Ian could see the realization in her eyes.

"_Everyone_ babbles when they are under the influence of pain medications, Cadet. It doesn't mean anything. Most of the time they don't even remember what was said. You should hear Colonel O'Neill somet-"

"I _remember_ what I said."

"Yeah?"

There was a definite challenge in the question.

He nodded, and figured what the hell? Get it out into open and let her have at him.

"I told you about me and Cassie."

She crossed her arms over her breasts.

"Yes, you did."

"It was only a kiss."

"Just one?"

"I only kissed her once."

"You've only kissed once?"

"I didn't say that."

Janet scowled, catching the ramifications of that. _She_ wasn't dumb, either.

"She's only seventeen. She's too young to-"

"It was a _kiss_, Doctor Fraiser. Nothing more. I'd never do anything inappropriate. I like her too much to hurt her."

"Kisses lead to other things…"

He shook his head.

"Not these."

"Because you're waiting for Hayden to get his… shit… together so you can hand her over to him?" Janet asked, proving that there was nothing wrong with her memory, either.

Ian frowned, because it sure sounded a lot worse than he'd meant for it to sound. Of course, he'd been doped to shit when he said that, so it wasn't completely his fault.

"Hayden's a good guy, Doctor Fraiser. Cassie likes him, and he's got _most_ of his shit together already. He knows exactly what he wants to do with his life, and he's respectful to pretty much everyone. He's-"

"Are you trying to sell him to me?"

"I'm just telling you, once he realizes that real love is a lot better than a simple fling with whoever he can find – and he _will_, eventually – then he's going to be a good man. Someone you could trust your daughter's happiness to."

It was Janet's turn to frown, because this conversation was not going the direction she'd expected it to. She'd expected Ian to tell her how great he was, and try to reassure her that he was the perfect man for Cassie to be with – at least then. He'd started out like she'd expected – telling her that he wasn't going to do anything – but then had taken a turn she hadn't anticipated.

"And _you're_ not?"

Ian snorted andshook his head.

"I'm the _last_ one that Cassie should set her sights on."

"I wouldn't go that far…"

He shrugged, ignoring the stab of pain the motion caused.

"You've seen my temper. I'm an asshole. She can do a lot better than me."

"I'm going to give you some Tylenol, Ian," she told him. She hadn't missed the pain in every motion he made."It won't do anything more than take the edge off, but if you don't want anything stronger-"

"I don't."

"Stop interrupting me, young man."

"Sorry."

She opened a drawer in a chest against the wall and pulled out a packet of pills, and opened them for him and handed him the glass of water that was on the stand beside his bed.

"It's just Tylenol," she assured him. "No side effects."

He took the pills and downed them, washing them down with water, watching her the entire time, certain that there was another shoe ready to fall. Janet could see it in his expression – he really wasn't all that hard to read, which explained why he was so bad at lying.

"We're going to have to finish this conversation, Ian. Your parents are worried about you, the O'Neill's are worried about you, and Jaffer is drooling all over my clean bandages."

He looked down and saw the black lab had fallen asleep during their conversation and was, indeed, drooling on the bandages on Ian's stomach. Janet wasn't finished, though. She sighed, and stared at him for a full thirty seconds – that seemed like forever to Ian – and then shrugged.

"I don't think you're quite as bad as you think you are, and I'm _not_ giving you permission to date Cassie – _or_ to hand her off to your roommate. She's my little girl, now, but eventually she's going to be making her own decisions, and if she decides that she wants to spend more time with you – _not a lot more time with you_ – then it'll be _her_ choice."

He frowned, confused. Hadn't she been listening to him? He wasn't-

"But. If you hurt her – and let me use _little words_, so you can understand this – I. Will. Kill. You. Do you understand?"

"I won't hurt her."

"See that you don't."

"Yes, Ma'am."

Like there was any other response to that?


	99. 99

Ian spent the next few hours with his parents – after a quick visit from Jack and Sam, who then excused themselves to get to work. They had a lot of things stacked up for them to do after so many days off as well. This time Jaffer went with Jack, leaving room on Ian's bed for Nathan to take the other side, and Ian found that with his mother making sure they all kept everything fairly low-keyed, visiting with his dad for so long wasn't as bad as it might have been. He then convinced them – after a lot of reassuring – that they might as well go and finish their vacation that had been interrupted.

They weren't easy to convince. Of course, as far as they knew he was still suffering from the injuries caused by the gunshots, so Ian understood that, but he reminded them that he was in the best of hands and under the care of an exceptional doctor, and wouldn't want for anything while he was recovering. Maggie still wasn't completely convinced, even though Ian looked far better than he should have – according to Nathan – which meant that he really _was_ doing well.

"Go on, you guys…" Ian told them. "There's really no reason for you to stick around. If I need you, I can call."

"Not your _father's_ cell phone," Maggie told him, pretty much convinced after another half hour of persuading. "He's ruined his."

"Lost it," Nathan corrected.

"How?"

"He threw it off a cliff and into the ocean."

Ian smiled.

"It was an _accident_." Nate said, defensively.

"_After_ he called it a bad name," Maggie said, smiling. "It _wasn't_ an accident."

"So, if I need anything, I'll call _you_, mom."

"If the AG doesn't contact you – or someone from his office doesn't – then you call and let me know," Nathan said.

The AG had returned to Washington the day before, after getting his staff working on charging all five of the suspects involved with Ian's attack. There would be assorted charges, and the AG had told Nate that there was a very good chance that the shooter at least, could be charged with attempted 1st degree murder since he couldn't prove that he hadn't gone out looking for the cadet that night – and he'd been carrying a deadly weapon on his person when he'd found him. The fact that the gun didn't come into play immediately didn't mean anything. Not to the courts, anyway, and certainly not to Nate.

"I'm sure he'll be in touch."

Not with Ian, probably, but with the police – who would then call the number that they'd been given if they needed to talk to Ian.

"You're sure you'll be all right?" Maggie asked.

"Positive."

"Nothing you need before we go?" Nate asked.

Ian hesitated, and then nodded.

"Actually, if you don't mind making a run to the store for me, there _is_ something you could get me… then you could just drop it off with one of the Marine guards, and they'd bring it to me – if you bullied them into it for me."

"I'm sure he wouldn't mind doing that, would you, Nathan?"

"Of course not."

OOOOOOOOOO

Ian fell asleep soon after his visit with his folks. He wasn't all _that_ healthy at the moment, after all, and his body needed rest more than anything. While he slept, his parents said their goodbyes to Jack and the others, and then headed for a store.

Janet came by to check on her patient, found him soundly sleeping and not responsive to a light touch, and decided she might as well remove all the monitors, wires and tubes – including the IV. The illicit Big Mac had proved that there was nothing wrong with his stomach, and since there wasn't, he might as well be eating solid foods – which would help him gain his color and the little weight he'd lost in the past days.

She and her staff did just that, then they changed his bandages – gently – and then she tucked his blankets carefully around him and closed off the privacy curtains to keep him from being disturbed by the noises of the staff working around the infirmary and left him to his rest. Then, taking advantage of the fact that there was no need for her to stay in the infirmary herself, she went off to one of the private rooms and went to bed. She'd had a long past few days herself, and while it would be nice to sleep in her own bed that night, she was tired, and could use the nap.

While she was sleeping, a Marine Corp Lance Corporal brought a small brown bag into the infirmary, and handed it to one of the nurses, telling her it was for Ian Brooks from his father, General Brooks. The nurse frowned and looked in the bag, realized there wasn't anything dangerous in it, and left it on the stand next to Ian's bed where he'd find it when he woke up.

OOOOOOOOOOO

"So…"

"What?"

"When are we going to go back and get our Christmas trees?"

Jack scowled at Daniel – who still had his arm in the sling.

"Are you in a hurry to take another tumble?"

"I told Sally we found the perfect tree… she wants to see it. What are you doing tonight?"

"Spending some time with Sam."

"What about tomorrow night?"

"Washing my hair."

"Come on, Jack…"

O'Neill smiled.

"We'll go get them as soon as your arm is out of the sling and Fraiser says you're okay to."

Daniel frowned.

"That could be forever. Why don't we bring Teal'c with us and do it tonight?"

"Because I want to spend time with Sam. Why don't you take Teal'c and go without me?"

"Because you have the truck."

"You can use it."

"I'm not sure I can find the place."

"So go to-"

"Jack."

"Daniel."

"What are you two arguing about?"

They both looked up when Sam walked into Jack's office.

"He wants me to go Christmas tree killing with him tonight."

"Your arm's hurt."

"That's what _I_ told him."

"It's not _that_ hurt. And I said we could bring Teal'c – he'd help."

"So? Why don't you go?"

Jack scowled.

"Because Daniel's bad luck. Every time I go anywhere with him I end up falling down a cliff or something."

"Not _every_ time." Daniel protested.

"Lots of times."

"A _few_ times…"

"It'd be nice to have our tree…" Sam said, sitting on the edge of Jack's desk.

Daniel's expression turned triumphant, because he knew Sam had just said the one thing that would get Jack to go. So did Jack.

"Fine. I'll go get the tree and you can get the bed next to Ian's ready for me when the Search and Rescue team finally brings us in."

She laughed, and stood up.

"I'll do that – I want to go visit him anyways. I'll see you sometime before dark – and take Teal'c with you so he can keep you two out of trouble, okay?"

"I planned on it. I'll need someone with a strong back to pull me up the cliff since Ian's not going to be there to help."

"Don't be gone too long."

Otherwise she might actually worry.

"I'll take care of him, Sam," Daniel promised.

"Uh huh."

With that, she walked out of the office and headed for the infirmary.


	100. 100

_Author's Note: Wow, 100 chapters! Who'd have thought it??_

OOOOOOOOOO

"Sam."

She stopped at the door to the infirmary, and saw Janet heading her direction, looking a little rumpled. It was a look she knew well – although she usually saw it on Jack.

"Just woke up?"

"How'd you know?"

"Lucky guess. It's been a busy couple days for you, hasn't it?"

Janet shrugged and gave her a wry smile.

"I'm a doctor, I'm used to it."

"I was just going to visit Ian – is that all right?"

Since Sam was the only one that would have bothered to ask permission first – Jack would have barged on in, followed by Jaffer – Janet nodded.

"He was sleeping when I changed his bandages before I went off to get some sleep." She looked at her watch. "That was about three hours ago, so he should be awake and ready for company by now."

Sam smiled, remembering how she'd caught Ian sleeping with Jaffer on the sofa.

"Isn't he cute when he's asleep?"

"A perfect angel." Yeah, that was a little sarcastic – but Janet had to agree. "He's really rather good looking when he's awake, too, you know. Right up until he opens his mouth."

They both smiled at the truth to that statement, and walked into the infirmary. Janet picked up Ian's chart and was looking through it as the two walked down the aisle towards the closed curtain at the end of the room.

"How's he doing?" Sam asked.

"Temp's a little high, but everything else looks fine. There's nothing unusual about running a fever when you're as mauled as he is, so we'll give it a couple days to go down before I start to worry about – what the hell?"

They'd reached the end of the room, and Sam had quietly pulled back the curtain – not wanting to bother Ian if he was asleep. He wasn't asleep, though. He was wide awake, and when the curtain pulled back, he looked up at the two of them like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. A great big Cadillac named Janet Fraiser.

"_Doctor Fraiser_… um… hi…"

Sam snorted, unable to help herself.

"_Where_ did you get that?" She asked.

"My dad got them for me."

"How many?"

"There _were_ four."

"How many have you eaten?"

"Two. I thought I'd save one for you and Jack."

In his lap was a brown paper bag. In his hand – the hand that wasn't bandaged – was the unrecognizable remains of what had to be a pomegranate. Considering the mess that he'd made of himself – a mess that looked familiar to Sam – he'd had just as much trouble with this one as he and Jack had had with the last ones. Seeds were everywhere, and juice was smeared on his face, his bare chest and soaking his bandages – especially the bandage on the hand that had been shot. Obviously, it was incredibly difficult to eat a pomegranate with one hand – and just as hard with one hand bandaged.

"Are you out of your mind?" Janet asked, scowling as she shook off her shock and took in the mess. "What did I tell you about eating f-"

"You said that eating something greasy would possibly have a negative side effect to some of the medications I'm taking," Ian told her – which was exactly how Janet had put it in her long lecture to him. "I'm eating _fruit_. Fruit's _good_ for me, right? How can it be bad?"

"Sam, keep him right where he is…" She turned and started looking around the room.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked curiously.

"I'm going to go find something to hit him over the head with."

"Janet…"

"No… something _big_. And _heavy_… maybe an x-ray machine…"

"Doctor Fraiser… it's _fruit_… You know; 5 servings a day…?"

"You're supposed to _eat_ it, young man, not rub it all over your body and hope it soaks through the skin."

Sam chuckled, and Janet glared at her, too.

"_You're_ not helping, Sam."

"Sorry…"

She wasn't. Not really. She couldn't help herself.

"We're going to have to clean him up. I'll get a nurse-"

"I can clean myself up," Ian assured her. "There's no reason to make a fu-"

"Who's your doctor?"

"You are."

"Who knows what's best for you?"

Ian scowled, but there was only one way he could safely answer that, and he knew it.

"You do."

She took the bag from him, and looked inside. Sure enough, there were two pomegranates in it. She handed it to Sam, and waved a couple of her medics over to the bed.

"I need washcloths, warm water, fresh bandages and a baseball bat."

"You're really taking this badly," Ian told her. "It's fruit. You didn't say I couldn't have _fruit_." He looked at Sam. "Did she tell _you_ I couldn't have fruit?"

Sam shook her head, putting her hands up.

"You leave me out of this, Ian," she told him, smiling. "I'm just an innocent bystander. I think I'll go see if Jack and Daniel have made their plans for their tree hunt."

"They're going out after a tree?" Janet asked as she started pulling the juice-drenched bandages off Ian's chest and belly – and ignoring the ripping sounds and the winces and gasps the cadet made every time one was torn off.

"Tonight," Sam confirmed.

"You'd better tell them that if they fall down a cliff, they might as well stay there."

"Oh? Why?"

"Because there's no way I will have Jack O'Neill, Daniel Jacksonand Ian Brooks in my infirmary at the same time. _No way_."

Sam smiled, and decided she'd better leave. She could come back and visit later – when Ian wasn't in so much trouble, and Janet was in a better mood. She walked off, waving a goodbye to Ian, who didn't notice as he watched Janet rip another bandage off.

"So… um… Doctor Fraiser…?"

She looked up from what she was doing, her fingers gripping the edge of the bandage on his lower abdomen, ignoring the fact that he had a belly button filled with pomegranate juice.

"What?"

"Any chance I can see Cassie when she gets out of school today?"

The bandage was ripped off without so much as a warning, and Ian couldn't bite back the yelp as he lost a few of the little hairs that had been in the area.


	101. Epilogue

_Epilogue_

OOOOOOO

"So he's ready to travel through the Stargate?"

Fraiser nodded. She was standing in front of Hammond's desk, with Ian's medical file in her hand.

"He's recovered almost completely, Sir. The bruises are barely noticeable, and the stitches can come out in a few days. The doctors at the Alpha site can take care of that, though. Frankly, he doesn't belong in my infirmary – and he's driving me crazy."

That was an understatement.

In the week since Ian had been brought to the SGC he'd recovered quickly, regaining his health even swifter than she'd expected him to. Which was good for him – although it made for a lot of annoying moments once he was ready to start trying to move around. The young man was used to physical activity, and Fraiser didn't allow all that much in her infirmary. They clashed constantly. He wanted up. She wanted him to remain in bed another day – just to be sure.

To distract him, they brought in class work that his instructors at the academy had accumulated for him – a month's worth of work, both textbook and essays – and Ian was quiet for a couple of days. It didn't take him long to do it, though. Especially since the few times he had a question – and he did have a few – he could simply ask Sam, who was always willing to explain something extremely complicated to him. Jack figured she was just happy to have someone to babble to that actually understood her.

It didn't last long, though. The class work was finished, and Sam had gone through it, making sure it was right. To no one's surprise, it had been. Then Jack had brought in a set of Star Wars DVDs and he, Teal'c and Ian had spent the better part of a day watching them – with Cassie joining them part way through the third movie. Since Ian hadn't seen it before, it _was_ a distraction – but Cassie was even more of one, and she'd sat down next to him on his bed, and had held his hand through the rest of the movie, much to Janet's irritation.

Cassie had been to visit a few times, but never for long and Fraiser never really allowed the two of them to be alone so there wasn't a chance for any clandestine kisses. Not that Janet herself stood over them, but there always seemed to be a nurse or medic close at hand, either counting something or checking on Ian's wounds, or just doing something near by. Ian wasn't sure if Cassie understood what was going on, but he had a fair idea of what Janet was doing, and even though it was annoying, he understood completely. He never complained – although Cassie muttered a few choice words under her breath a couple times – which caused some contention between mother and daughter – and made Janet that much more ready to allow that Ian was well enough to travel.

"Then we'll send him to the Alpha site as soon as he's ready. Have Colonel O'Neill get him outfitted."

They'd been notified he'd be coming, after all, and were ready for him.

"Yes, Sir."

Jack wasn't surprised to hear that Ian was ready to go. He'd been keeping close tabs on the cadet's progress as well – although not as close as Janet, of course – and he'd been just as able to recognize the signs of boredom. For someone like Ian, who was used to being active all the time, it was pure torture to be forced to stay in bed, and even though Jack came by constantly, trying to distract him, he knew it was a poor substitute for getting up and going and doing things.

So it was almost with relief that he went to the infirmary and told him the good news. And Ian reacted predictably.

"It's about fucking time."

Jack smiled. He agreed.

"Yeah, well. Hammond wants me to get you geared up – which means a couple spare uniforms and equipment, including a weapon. You up for coming with me."

"Does Doctor Fraiser know I'm allowed to go?"

Jack nodded.

"She's the one that told me."

Ian tossed the blankets back and got out of bed. He was wearing typical hospital clothing; pajamas and a scowl, and was more than ready to get dressed.

"Let's go."

Sam met them in the supply room less than ten minutes later, with Jaffer walking beside her. The black lab had been restless all morning, and she'd offered to take him out for a run while Jack met with Fraiser.

"I just heard," she said, smiling broadly at Ian, who was just tucking a shirt into his new BDUs while Jack was pulling down a few more sets of uniforms from the shelves. "Released, finally, huh?"

Ian nodded.

"Finally."

"I'm going to miss having you around…"

The Cadet smiled, feeling warm and gooey inside.

"I won't be gone long."

"Do you still have that Major's Glock?" Jack asked, interrupting.

"Yeah, but it's in New Jersey."

"What's it doing _there_?"

"I couldn't take it with me back to the academy, Jack. My dad took it home for me – it was too nice to give back."

"Well, I'm going to have them issue you a .45. The Alpha site is secure, but it never hurts to have a weapon – just in case. I don't have to tell you not to go crazy and play John Wayne shooting up everything in sight, do I?"

Ian grinned and shook his head.

"I'm not going to do anything like that."

He knew how bad it hurt to get shot – it wasn't likely he'd ever do it to someone else, just for the hell of it, anyways.

Jack wasn't really worried about it, but he'd figured it was better to mention it.

"You're only going to be there for three weeks, but keep your eyes open, because you can learn a lot while you're there."

"Bra'tac's going to be there," Sam said, smiling.

Ian looked over at her, surprised.

"Really? How do you know that?"

"Teal'c told me. He told Bra'tac what happened to you, and where you were going, and Bra'tac told Teal'c he'd like to come and spend some time with you. You really impressed him, you know?"

The Cadet smiled. Things were just getting better and better, weren't they?

"Try not to get beat too badly," Jack told him, not at all surprised to see the eagerness in Ina's expression. Who wouldn't love a chance to get private lessons from the guy who taught Teal'c everything he knew? "We expect you back in time for a New Year's Eve party, and I don't people to think Janet Fraiser's been abusing you while you were in her care."

Ian nodded.

"I'll be careful."

"You do that."

Sam smiled.

"I'm not going to go with you through the gate, since I have things here I can't get away from, so I'll say my goodbyes now. It was fun having you with us, and if you ever need a place to stay – if your folks are going to be away or something – we'll kick your butt if you don't ask us first. Understand?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Ian smiled and pulled her into a bear hug. "Thanks for letting me stay with you. I had a great time."

"Summer's coming," Jack told him. "We'll need a _nanny_, if you're interested…"

Ian snorted, and let go of Sam, shaking his head.

"You really want the first words out of your kid's mouth to be 'fuck you'?"

Good point.

"Well… we have time. We can talk about it."

"Do me a favor, Sam?" Ian asked, pulling her slightly to the side while Jack went over and finished getting Ian's supplies for him.

"Sure."

"Tell Cassie I'll see her when I get back."

Sam smiled.

"She's going to kill you for not saying goodbye."

"Yeah, well… I'll make it up to her."

"I'll tell her you said that."

"Just don't tell Janet."

Before she could reply, Jack was back. He handed Ian a holster, which he buckled on, and then a pack, which he shouldered, and then they both looked at Sam.

"I'll be back in time for supper," Jack told her.

"Unless he gets lost," Ian told her, grinning as he headed for the door, with Jaffer beside him. "You know how old guys are, after all. Sense of direction is one of the first things to go…"

Sam laughed, and hooked her arm through Jack's.

"I'll walk you to the gate."

**The End!**

_Author's Note: Yes, there's a lot more to the story, but the Thanksgiving part is over, so the story has to end. Plenty of time and chance for discussion at the Forum, but I would like to know what parts you all liked and what parts you didn't – favorite lines and all the usual stuff – and thanks for reading it. I really didn't intend for it to be so long!_


End file.
